UK Integrated Review Refresh

Professor Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general of the UK-based thinktank RUSI, echoed Healey’s comments, noting: "This is the most damning NAO report on the MoD budget I have seen since these reports began." Chalmers told Shephard that the finding "suggests that the government has given up on balancing the defence budget, leaving it until after the election to make the hard decisions". "[The gap] means that the MoD is going to have to secure more funding than currently assumed or face significant capability cuts," Chalmers remarked.

Professor Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general at defence think-tank Royal United Services Institute, said the report was "the most damning thing I have seen" on the MoD's equipment plan. "It reads like a situation where the government has lost budgetary control," he added.

Mr Trump has triggered fears he could slash help for the Ukraine administration if he wins next year’s presidential race. He has claimed he could end the war in 24 hours - without saying how - and refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to prevail. He also moaned about the cost of vital gear sent to Ukraine. "We don't have ammunition for ourselves, we're giving away so much," complained Mr Trump. Mr Shapps told a Royal United Services Institute fringe meeting at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester: “I don’t think it’s entirely clear what would happen if indeed Trump won the nomination, if indeed he won the elections.”