Committee publication · Correspondence · 28 January 2026
Joint letter from Defence and PAC Chairs to Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary dated 28th January regarding transparency and the Defence Investment Plan
From: Defence Committee
Summary
The Defence and Public Accounts Committee chairs jointly demand the Ministry of Defence publish its long-delayed Defence Investment Plan and set a public evidence date. They cite a decade of reduced transparency, no Equipment Plan update since December 2023 (forecasting £305bn spending), discontinuation of Major Projects Report in 2015, and contradictions between modernisation rhetoric and £0.5bn capability cuts, warning further delays risk signalling weakness to adversaries.
Key findings
- No Equipment Plan update released since December 2023 despite £305bn forecast and PAC affordability concerns in March 2024
- Discontinuation of Major Projects Report in 2015 has severely hampered parliamentary assessment of major defence programmes involving significant public investment
- Recent defence posture contradicts modernisation narrative: £0.5bn capability cuts in 2024, no major new equipment orders, persistent Ajax programme problems
- Chief of Defence Staff acknowledged Defence Investment Plan must be deliverable and affordable, shifting responsibility to MOD leadership to make difficult choices immediately
- Further delays to promised Defence Investment Plan risk damaging strategic signals to adversaries and undermine Parliament's scrutiny capacity
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Tan Dhesi, Jeremy Pocklington, Chief of the Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, Defence Select Committee, Public Accounts Committee
Notable line
“… there is no point having a defence investment plan that cannot be delivered or is unaffordable.”
Key Quotes
“… reduced departmental transparency over the past decade has made this work increasingly difficult.”
“… there is no point having a defence investment plan that cannot be delivered or is unaffordable.”
“Responsibility for ensuring this sits firmly with you and others within Government. Continued delays cannot be blamed on external events, which are unceasing.”
“Further delay to the Defence Investment Plan, long promised 'in the autumn', risks sending damaging signals to adversaries.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗