PAC condemns defence plan delays as UK submarine fleet grounded
Scathing report highlights credibility risks ahead of NATO summit as all five Astute-class submarines undergo maintenance
The UK Public Accounts Committee has issued a severe rebuke of the government’s handling of defence strategy, stating that repeated delays to the Defence Investment Plan have eroded the nation’s credibility with both allies and adversaries. Committee chair Geoffrey Clifton-Brown argued that the absence of the strategic document undermines safety and certainty within the defence industrial base, urging ministers to apologise for what he described as bureaucratic drift.
In its report, the committee noted that the Ministry of Defence has not yet determined the specific capabilities, infrastructure, and personnel required to transform the armed forces into a warfighting-ready force within the available budget. Furthermore, the report highlighted that the department has failed to secure the necessary cross-government agreement for the plan, which was originally expected last autumn but has been postponed multiple times.
Clifton-Brown dismissed arguments that the delay was necessary to refine details, stating that the damage to national credibility and armed forces certainty had already been done. He suggested that any minister attempting to explain the delay should consider the message it sends to the public and international partners, rather than offering excuses about getting the details right.
The criticism coincides with reports that the Royal Navy’s entire fleet of five Astute-class hunter-killer submarines is currently docked for maintenance. The Mail on Sunday reported that all five vessels are out of service, a situation attributed by a naval source to a lack of investment in backup infrastructure over decades. In response, the First Sea Lord has ordered the development of a recovery plan to prevent future maintenance overruns and improve war readiness.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed it is working to finalise the Defence Investment Plan for publication before the NATO summit in Turkey, which begins on 7 July. A spokesperson described the government’s extra £270bn in defence spending as a generational increase intended to fix an outdated and underfunded programme. Meanwhile, a technical issue has been identified on the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales during its stop in Stavanger, Norway.