Defence Secretary denies fallout with military chiefs over £15bn investment plan but admits 'more still to do'
Dan Jarvis insisted Andy Burnham "understands the importance of defence" when it comes to a future PM protecting Britain
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has told LBC there has been no fallout with military chiefs over the government's £15bn defence investment plan (DIP) after predecessor Sir John Healey stepped down over inadequate funding.
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Speaking with Andrew Marr following the release of further defence spending details, Mr Jones pushed back on suggestions there had been disagreements with military chiefs over the funding plan.
"It's not bad going for two weeks," he said, referencing his new appointment in the wake of John Healey's departure.
Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the allocation of £15bn in funding on Tuesday as part of the DIP - around half of the £28bn the Ministry of Defence had asked for.
It comes after Healey, whose scathing resignation letter earlier this month detailed that he was being "forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations".
He also insisted the DIP funding levels approved by Starmer and the Treasury were ultimately "making the country less safe."
"I've worked very closely since being appointed, every single day, with the Chief of the Defence Staff," Mr Jarvis told Andrew, adding: "They've had a really, really important input into this process."
Insisting military chiefs "welcome the publication" of the spending plan, Mr Jarvis added that all stand in "support" of the plan.
"We've made great strides," he added, insisting: "I'm really proud, actually, of the progress we've made over the past two weeks, and I'm really grateful to the chiefs, not only for their service, but for the support they provided over the past couple of weeks or so."
It comes after the outgoing Prime Minister revealed details of the plan in the Commons, including £5bn to increase the armed forces’ use of drones and autonomous weapons.
Details also included plans for a ‘hybrid navy’ with self-controlled vessels and AI alongside conventional warships.
The funding in the Dip also comes on top of the £270 billion promised for defence from 2025/26 to 2028/29.
Under the investment plans, more than £8 billion will go towards the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
A four-year investment plan, the programme will build a next-generation stealth fighter jet for the Royal Air Force, alongside our close allies Japan and Italy.
Initially refusing to answer whether he's been in contact with Andy Burnham in recent days - a figure many regard as the soon-to-be Prime Minister - the Defence Secretary eventually admitted: "Of course I'm talking to Andy".
Mr Jones said the former Manchester mayor "understands the importance of defence" and "the importance of making sure we've got the right resource and the right capabilities".
"And in the two weeks that I've had as the Defence Secretary, I've worked night and day to make sure that we can publish the best possible plan. It will generate 60,000 jobs, £298 billion of expenditure - that's not bad going for 2 weeks."
"These are historically high levels of funding, and we've seen an increase of 27% in real terms. So this is a very significant investment in the defence of our nation," Mr Jarvis insisted.
"Is there going to be a requirement to spend more on defence? Yes, there is. But is this a major step in the right direction? Absolutely, it is."
"NATO looks to us for our leadership, that is leadership that we provided previously and will continue to provide in the future," Mr Jarvis added.
"The feedback that I've had today from Allies, my counterparts from a range of different nations, is very positive about the contribution that we've made today."
Military chiefs will also be forced to find £10.7bn in cuts in order to fund the plans, with the MoD set to slash funding for infrastructure, with “workforce and resourcing” and Civil Service reform needed.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Treasury still needs to decide where £4.7bn of the £15bn of extra cash will found will come from and will announce this in the next budget.
Former defence secretary John Healey, who resigned earlier this month following a funding row over the DIP, said “more needs to be done in the months ahead” beyond the £15 billion investment.