Labour accuses government of failing to reverse cuts in defence spending

Ed Arnold, a land warfare analyst with the Rusi thinktank and a former infantry officer, said the UK was increasingly unable to meet its commitments to Nato, with its promise to provide a war-fighting division in an emergency. “Nato’s defence planning process heavily favours land forces and what the military alliance wants from the UK is a heavy division. At the moment that won’t be ready until 2030. Already the UK has had to pull out a battle group from Estonia because it couldn’t be sustained,” Arnold said.