Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The UK’s top military chief, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, is said to have told the Prime Minister that an MoD assessment showed a £28 billion shortfall between now and 2030, The Times reports. Sir Richard showed the PM the assessment at a meeting before Christmas also attended by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Defence Secretary John Heeley, according to the newspaper. An MOD spokesperson told The Independent: "The UK defence budget is rising to record levels as this government delivers the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling £270bn this parliament alone. “We are working flat out on the Defence Investment Plan, which will fix the outdated, overcommitted, and underfunded defence programme we inherited.”

Source: The Times January 09, 2026 19:49 UTC