Prepare for war in our backyard, MOD urged

Officials must speed up procurement of vital military kit

- BY JONATHAN WALKER Whitehall Editor

MINISTRY of Defence officials have been told to prepare the nation for war “in our own backyard”.

Staff responsible for spending the nation's £288billion defence procurement budget were told to speed up the process and equip the armed forces “to be ready to fight”, even if it meant taking more risks with public money.

The instruction came from defence minister Luke Pollard, who was appointed in September as the minister responsible for procurement. He said: “We are not at war, but nor are we at peace any longer.”

It follows warnings from other defence experts that the UK is effectively at war with Russia already.

George Robertson, the former secretary general of Nato who previously served as Defence Secretary, said last week: “Russia is clearly at war with us.

“I've no doubt at all that even though were not at war with them, they've clearly declared war on us.”