Report: UK Military Faces £16.9B Equipment Shortfall

Image copyright: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images

The Facts

  • The UK's National Audit Office (NAO) has estimated that the British armed forces' budget for weapons and equipment will see a £16.9B ($21.6B) shortfall over the next decade — the largest deficit since the institution's first report in 2012.

  • According to the public spending watchdog, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) "acknowledges" that its 2023-2033 Equipment Plan was "unaffordable" because of rising costs due to inflation and demands from the government's updated strategy.


The Spin

Left narrative

The UK government continues to lack a coherent economic strategy, as has become the norm for several years under Conservative Party leadership. Stagnation continues to run rife, and the UK remains sluggish amongst the G7 in growth performance. The current government, doomed to be booted out of power in the next general election, lacks a clear plan to revive the nation from its grim deterioration.

Right narrative

While there are issues surrounding the UK's current political and economic position, Britain's opposition lacks a solid solution to the public's problems today. Recent criticisms have been saturated with evasions and ambiguities concerning how other policy directions would resolve economic issues. Labour's bloated pledges are not yet trusted by the electorate.


Metaculus Prediction


Articles on this story