Defence Secretary John Healey outlined the government’s latest timetable for the ten-year Defence Investment Plan (DIP) in the House of Commons on Monday, stating that Prime Minister Keir Starmer remains focused on releasing the document before the July Nato summit. The plan, which details how military equipment and infrastructure will be funded over the coming decade, was originally scheduled for publication in autumn 2025.
The prolonged delay has drawn sharp criticism from industry representatives and labour unions, who argue that uncertainty is already eroding the UK’s defence manufacturing base. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR), published on June 2, 2025, outlined a shift toward “warfighting readiness” and promised billions in additional spending for ammunition, next-generation fast jets, drones, and attack submarines. The DIP is required to finance those commitments.
ADS, the trade body representing the UK aerospace, defence, security, and space industries, urged ministers to publish the plan immediately. ADS chief executive Kevin Craven called the twelve-month gap between the SDR and the investment plan “pretty abysmal” in an interview with the BBC.
“We’re in a world where all of the threat assessments say that 2027 could be the point at which we come under credible military threats,” Craven said. “Whether we do or we don’t, I’m not being alarmist about it, we need to be ready for that and we’re not, simplistically.” Craven warned that smaller firms in the supply chain are facing an uncertain future and have begun moving out of the defence sector or shifting their business focus.
Trade union leaders echoed the industry’s concerns. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the government’s failure to produce the plan threatens British jobs, skills, and national security.
“Money must be spent in the UK,” Graham said, adding that directing contracts overseas “would be a betrayal.” She pointed to pending decisions on a new tranche of Typhoon fast jets, the Skynet satellite, and A400M transport aircraft as critical contracts that need immediate sign-off to keep British production lines active.
Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect union and a member of the Defence Industrial Joint Council, said defence workers and civil servants are “crying out for certainty.” Clancy noted that each month of delay prevents the creation of jobs and training places while stalling necessary infrastructure investment.
During Monday’s parliamentary exchange, Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge pressed Healey on whether the Treasury had formally approved the spending plan. Healey did not directly answer, replying, “I can say to him very clearly that the prime minister is determined that we publish the defence investment plan before the Nato summit.”
Cartlidge countered, “No wonder the defence investment plan is so late - Labour still haven’t worked out how to pay for it.”
The opposition is preparing to force a vote on the matter. On Tuesday, Conservative MPs will propose an amendment to the Armed Forces Bill that would legally require the government to present the DIP to Parliament within one month of the legislation’s approval. The amendment is not expected to pass due to the governing party’s majority, but the debate will provide a forum for frustrated lawmakers.
Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello told the Commons that businesses in his West Dorset constituency are “frustrated by the repeated delays.” Morello said companies have warned him that they could relocate operations to Europe or the United States by next year if certainty does not materialize.
“We risk losing jobs, sovereign capability and billions of pounds of investment,” Morello said.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard pushed back against claims that the government is stalling on procurement. Pollard noted that ministers have signed 1,200 major defence deals since the July 2024 general election and are continuing to secure agreements with large and small companies independent of the final investment plan.
Reports have indicated that internal government disagreements over new funding levels, as well as how to finance existing defence commitments, contributed to the hold-up. Labour MP Michelle Scrogham, who represents the Barrow and Furness constituency, warned in March that arms manufacturers were already laying off staff and freezing investment while awaiting the report. Another Labour MP, Catherine McKinnell, cautioned in last month’s King’s Speech debate that the delay risks “real world consequences” and called for certainty to protect supply chains and major contractors.
The Nato summit is scheduled to run from 7 July.