09 January 2026 , 07:50
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Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton reportedly told the Prime Minister that the MoD faces a £28 billion shortfall between now and 2030.
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by the UK’s top military chief that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) could face a £28 billion funding shortfall in the next four years.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton reportedly told the Prime Minister that an MoD assessment made last year showed a £28 billion shortfall between now and 2030.
The Chancellor and Defence Secretary were also at the meeting in the run up to Christmas, as first reported by The Times and The Sun newspapers.
The news is thought to have prompted Sir Keir to order an overhaul of the defence investment plan (Dip), which has been delayed after first being expected in the autumn.
The Dip will set out how the strategic defence review is to be delivered.
A Government source said the UK is "on track" to fulfil the commitments outlined in the review.
Sir Richard took over as Chief of the Defence Staff in September and is responsible for the delivery of the strategic defence review published in June, as the UK has pledged to boost defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027.
The review also set out a goal to raise spending to 3 per cent in the next Parliament "when fiscal and economic conditions allow".
The news of a shortfall comes as the UK this week pledged to put troops on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, and after UK bases and military personnel supported a US operation to seize an oil tanker in the Atlantic, said to be part of a "shadow fleet" seeking to evade sanctions on Iranian oil.
Sir Keir spoke to US President Donald Trump for the second time in as many days on Thursday as the two discussed the threat that an "increasingly aggressive" Russia poses in the "High North".
An MoD spokesperson said: "The UK defence budget is rising to record levels as this Government delivers the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling £270 billion this parliament alone.
"Demands on defence are rising, with growing Russian aggression, increasing operational requirements and preparations for a Ukraine deployment.
"We are working flat out on the Defence Investment Plan, which will fix the outdated, overcommitted, and underfunded defence programme we inherited."
Politics Editor