Britain needs more focus on defence, says ex-Army chief

THE former head of the British Army has said Britain is too focused on welfare spending rather than defence despite the threat posed by Russia, as he claimed Nato is not sufficiently backing Ukraine.

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Lord Houghton of Richmond, the chief of defence staff between 2013 and 2016, called on the Government to do more as he said decision-making still resembled “peacetime planning”.

He described the financial picture for the armed forces as “dire” and warned “uncomfortable announcements” on funding lie ahead.

The crossbench peer said without proper backing for Ukraine it could lead to a ceasefire that would humiliate the country and embarrass western governments while leaving Russia bullish. He also hit out at slow Nato rearmament and Donald Trump's unwillingness to decisively intervene.