Royal Navy: Rishi Sunak urged to ramp up defence spending in light of mothballing ships and Red Sea attacks

Sir Julian Lewis, who chairs Parliament’s intelligence and security committee, was among the backbench Conservatives urging the prime minister to increase the UK’s defence spending commitment to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Mr Sunak said the Government would meet the target “when circumstances allow”, and suggested it would set out a roadmap to the commitment as part of the next spending review in 2025, now likely to fall after a general election.

Over the weekend, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron warned that the world faces a period of heightened peril, claiming the “lights are absolutely flashing red” on the global dashboard following the US-UK airstrikes against Houthi rebels in response to their attacks on merchant ships passing through the Red Sea. Sir Julian told the Commons: “The prime minister was clearly absolutely justified to respond as he did, particularly after the direct attack against HMS Diamond.

“But given that at the time of the Falklands campaign, we had 35 frigates and destroyers and were spending 4.5 per cent of GDP on defence, whereas both those figures can be cut in half to describe our situation today, does he agree with me that we certainly should not be reducing the numbers of frigates or destroyers and we certainly should not be mothballing or otherwise decommissioning our amphibious assault ships?”

As previously reported, HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll are due to be decommissioned due to a lack of sailors. Newspaper reported also suggested assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark could be mothballed. Tensions have been continuing to escalate in the Red Sea, with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen continuing to target merchant vessels with missiles and drones. The militant group said they would target any ships believed to be heading to Israel.

Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond is among the Navy assets currently under Operation Prosperity Guardian. Following the comments from other MPs, Mr Sunak said: "I’m happy to reassure him that our intention is to increase defence spending from where it currently is up to 2.5 per cent when circumstances allow.” Richard Drax, the Tory MP for South Dorset, meanwhile suggested Mr Sunak should go further than the 2.5 per cent target.

He said: “While it is important how we spend defence money, it is vital and without doubt that defence needs a lot more money, more than 2.5% and these arbitrary targets, if our brave men and women are going to fight a sustained conflict in the years ahead.” Rehman Chishti, the Conservative MP for Gillingham and Rainham, pressed Mr Sunak about the commitment, telling MPs: “It is absolutely crucial to ensure that our armed forces have the appropriate support and resources they need.

The Prime Minister has said the Government is committed to an aspiration of 2.5% spending on defence. An aspiration. When does the Prime Minister see that aspiration becoming a reality? And will the Government now further look at increasing that to 3% in light of the Foreign Secretary’s statement over the weekend that the world is in the most dangerous situation it has been in decades?”

Mr Sunak said the Ministry of Defence had received “a £24 billion cash increase” at the last spending review, “the largest sustained increase since the end of the Cold War”. He added: “Since then we have invested an extra £5 billion in increasing stockpiles and improving the sustainability of our defence nuclear enterprise, and in 2025 when we have the next spending review we will, of course, set out the target and the path towards 2.5 per cent.”

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned in a major speech on Monday that the UK is facing a “pre-war world” and the “peace dividend” that allowed successive governments to ease spending on defence is over. His words have been viewed as a push for extra funding – both at home and by Nato allies, many of whom are not meeting the alliance’s 2 per cent of GDP spending target.