£1.5bn in extra funding for military homes as part of defence review
The review, expected soon, will set out the money, which will be put towards work to improve housing and unlock further development.
Cash will be used on urgent repairs such as fixing boilers and roofs, and other issues including tackling damp, the MoD said.
Speaking on a visit to some military homes in Cambridgeshire, Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'I'm announcing through the strategic defence review a record increase – £1.5 billion in the next five years – to upgrade military family homes.
'Our forces make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us safe and to serve this country and yet for years, we've forced their families to live in substandard homes that you or I … just wouldn't tolerate.'
He also said the review will 'recognise the fact that the world is changing, threats are increasing'.
'In this new era of threat we need a new era for defence.'
It will be 'the vision and direction for the way that we've got to strengthen our armed forces to make us more secure at home, stronger abroad', he said.
The strategic defence review was launched by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last year, as the Government looks to overhaul Britain's military in the face of rising global tensions.
Ahead of the review, the UK has already committed to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product – a measure of the size of the economy – on defence from April 2027, rising to 3% during the next Parliament.
Last month, the Government launched a consumer charter aimed at improving the living conditions for service personnel and their families.
It commits to higher move-in standards, more reliable repairs and a named housing officer for every family.
It also pledges a shorter complaints process and more freedom for families to be able to make improvements to their service homes.
Liberal Democrat defence spokeswoman Helen Maguire called on the Government to go further in its pledge, by bringing military accommodation up to the decent homes standard – the minimum standards that social homes should meet.
She said she was 'glad to see this Government has finally come to their senses and listened', and added: 'Those bravely defending our country deserve proper housing without leaks, mould, floods and freezing temperatures.
'But it's disappointing to see the Government refuse to commit to bring all military homes under the decent homes standard – a change the Lib Dems will continue to champion, so no military family has to suffer in a second-rate home.'
Ms Maguire previously told the PA news agency that military families were 'struggling over the 80th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day', after the Government revealed it had logged 442 urgent repair requests for service family accommodation during the week which began on May 5.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
31 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Defence review is ‘message to Moscow'
The Defence Secretary has called plans to boost the UK's military might a 'message to Moscow' but said he does not expect to raise the number of soldiers until the next parliament. The Government has pledged £1.5 billion to set up at least six factories, and will support the procurement of up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons in response to the strategic defence review (SDR) to be published on Monday. The new funding will see UK munitions spend hit £6 billion during this parliament and support around 1,800 jobs throughout the country. Sir Keir Starmer has called the review a 'radical blueprint' and pledged a 'wave of investments' in shipbuilding, drone technology and cyber defences. Defence Secretary John Healey said the £6 billion of investment would 'equip our forces for the future' and 'create the jobs in every part of the UK'. 'This is a message to Moscow as well. This is Britain standing behind, making our armed forces stronger but making our industrial base stronger, and this is part of our readiness to fight, if required,' he told the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg programme. He said Russia is 'attacking the UK daily' as part of some 90,000 cyber attacks from state-linked sources were directed at the UK's defence over the last two years. A cyber command to counter such threats is being set up as part of the review. Asked if he expected a form of real-world attack by Russia on the UK in the coming years, he said: 'We have to be prepared. Nato has to be prepared. We see Putin in Ukraine trying to redraw international boundaries by force … it's part of the growing Russian aggression.' He added that is why Nato and the UK are 'stepping up our ability to deter as well as to defend in the future'. 'The world is more uncertain. The tensions are greater but we prepare for war in order to secure the peace. If you're strong enough to defeat an enemy you deter them from attacking in the first place,' Mr Healey said. He said plans to reach 2.5% of GDP spending on defence by 2027 and an 'ambition' to hit 3% in the next parliament were 'enough to deliver the SDR's vision that sets out tomorrow, and that vision is a transformation of Britain's armed forces.' He said there was 'no doubt' the Government would reach 3% in the next parliament. But he said he does not expect to make progress towards raising the number of soldiers to 73,000 until the next parliament. 'We've narrowed the gap, but we've still got more people leaving than joining. 'The first job is to reverse that trend and then I want to see in the next parliament our ability to start to increase the number,' he said. Defence minister Alistair Cairns, writing in The Mirror, said there were plans to increase cadet numbers by 30% with new opportunities for young people to get into the armed forces. And more than £1.5 billion in extra funding will go to military homes for urgent repairs such as fixing boilers and roofs, and other issues including tackling damp. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick welcomed the Government's pledge to increase defence spending but said he was 'sceptical' as to whether the Chancellor would make good on the plans. Mr Jenrick said the UK should reach 3% of GDP spending on defence 'within this parliament'.
Powys County Times
31 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Migrant daily arrivals top 1,000 for first time this year
More than 1,100 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel on Saturday, the highest number recorded on a single day so far this year. The latest Home Office figures show that 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats, bringing the provisional annual total so far to 14,811. This is 42% higher than the same point last year (10,448) and 95% up from the same point in 2023 (7,610), according to the PA news agency analysis of the data. It is still lower than the highest daily total of 1,305 arrivals since data began in 2018, which was recorded on September 3, 2022. Defence Secretary John Healey said the scenes of migrants being picked up by smugglers 'like a taxi' to be brought to the UK were 'shocking'. He said it is a 'really big problem' that French police are unable to intervene to intercept boats in shallow waters. French police officers were seen watching as migrants, including children, boarded at a beach in Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk, and authorities were then pictured escorting the boats. French authorities said they rescued 184 people. Mr Healey said the UK is pressing for the French to put new rules into operation so they can intervene. 'They're not doing it, but, but for the first time for years … we've got the level of co-operation needed. 'We've got the agreement that they will change the way they work, and our concentration now is to push them to get that into operation so they can intercept these smugglers and stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore,' he told the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme on Sky News. He said Britain has 'lost control of its borders over the last five years'. 'Pretty shocking, those scenes yesterday,' Mr Healey said. He added: 'We saw the smugglers launching elsewhere and coming around like a taxi to pick them up.' The UK agreed a £480 million deal with France to beef up its efforts to stop migrants in 2023 under former prime minister Rishi Sunak. It was the latest in a series of agreements with France since 2014 aimed at cracking down on crossings. This year is on course to set a record, with the 14,811 total arrivals so far the highest recorded for the first five months of a year. It has also surpassed the highest total recorded for the first six months of the year, which was previously 13,489 on June 30 last year. In 2024, the number of arrivals did not reach more than 14,000 until July 9 (14,058). Sir Keir Starmer's Government has pledged to 'smash the gangs' behind people-smuggling operations to bring down crossings. A Home Office spokesperson pointed to measures to share intelligence internationally, enhance enforcement operations in northern France and introduce tougher rules in its immigration legislation. 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. 'The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice. 'That is why this government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage.'
Leader Live
34 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Migrant daily arrivals top 1,000 for first time this year
The latest Home Office figures show that 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats, bringing the provisional annual total so far to 14,811. This is 42% higher than the same point last year (10,448) and 95% up from the same point in 2023 (7,610), according to the PA news agency analysis of the data. It is still lower than the highest daily total of 1,305 arrivals since data began in 2018, which was recorded on September 3, 2022. Defence Secretary John Healey said the scenes of migrants being picked up by smugglers 'like a taxi' to be brought to the UK were 'shocking'. He said it is a 'really big problem' that French police are unable to intervene to intercept boats in shallow waters. French police officers were seen watching as migrants, including children, boarded at a beach in Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk, and authorities were then pictured escorting the boats. French authorities said they rescued 184 people. Mr Healey said the UK is pressing for the French to put new rules into operation so they can intervene. 'They're not doing it, but, but for the first time for years … we've got the level of co-operation needed. 'We've got the agreement that they will change the way they work, and our concentration now is to push them to get that into operation so they can intercept these smugglers and stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore,' he told the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme on Sky News. He said Britain has 'lost control of its borders over the last five years'. 'Pretty shocking, those scenes yesterday,' Mr Healey said. He added: 'We saw the smugglers launching elsewhere and coming around like a taxi to pick them up.' The UK agreed a £480 million deal with France to beef up its efforts to stop migrants in 2023 under former prime minister Rishi Sunak. It was the latest in a series of agreements with France since 2014 aimed at cracking down on crossings. This year is on course to set a record, with the 14,811 total arrivals so far the highest recorded for the first five months of a year. It has also surpassed the highest total recorded for the first six months of the year, which was previously 13,489 on June 30 last year. In 2024, the number of arrivals did not reach more than 14,000 until July 9 (14,058). Sir Keir Starmer's Government has pledged to 'smash the gangs' behind people-smuggling operations to bring down crossings. A Home Office spokesperson pointed to measures to share intelligence internationally, enhance enforcement operations in northern France and introduce tougher rules in its immigration legislation. 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. 'The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice. 'That is why this government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage.'
