Royal Navy, British Army and RAF urged to not fight each other and "indulge in rivalry" due to several issues

John Healey praised personnel at the Rusi Land Warfare Conference for their “vital work” in the face of an “insecure world”. He stressed that the forces must be “fit to fight” to deal with any adversity.

“As this world becomes more dangerous, we are relying more heavily on your bravery and on your professionalism,” the Labour politician added. “But the principle of ‘one defence’ also becomes increasingly more important.

“The days that we can indulge in inter-service rivalry are over. We must be to fit to fight – not fight amongst ourselves. I really want to see the old rivalries left behind. I really want with you to establish a new era of UK defence. Because we know all three services face very serious challenges.” The MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough in South Yorkshire said the forces face various issues including “procurement waste, low morale, a recruitment and retention crisis and veterans who can’t access the services they deserve”. In the King’s Speech last week, the government announced a proposal to appoint an armed forces tsar to represent the military and their families.

The tsar will have powers to investigate potential problems in service life such as poor accommodation and faulty kit. Mr Healey said the army’s input will be vital for the strategic defence review the Labour government plans to carry out. The review will help to set out a roadmap to reach defence spending of 2.5 per cent of GDP, which the government has said it is committed to but has not set a timeline for. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was criticised for not setting an exact timeframe.