UK defence secretary promises delayed investment plan before Nato summit

Dan Jarvis, the new defence secretary, promised to publish the delayed defence investment plan (Dip) before the Nato summit in a fortnight amid indications he has already secured around a billion pounds more than his predecessor, John Healey. Haggling between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Treasury is continuing – while a source in Andy Burnham’s team said he was happy for a final deal to be concluded while Keir Starmer serves out his last days as prime minister. Jarvis, speaking at a military thinktank conference, said: “I’ve had 12 days, but I’ve made the most of all of them, and I’m now working to finalise and publish the Dip before I travel to Ankara with the prime minister.” The Nato summit in the Turkish capital will be held on 7 and 8 July, in one of Starmer’s final international engagements as prime minister. Burnham would take over at the end of the following week on 17 July if there is no contest. The minister emphasised that he would not get the deal done “at any cost” – but he also acknowledged that “no single defence review or funding settlement … can erase the legacy of accumulated neglect” from previous governments. Healey resigned earlier this month after he failed to secure more than £13.5bn to plug an £18bn gap in funding for the plan, which covers the department’s major capital programmes for the next 10 years. Jarvis is understood to have already obtained at least £14bn as part of the negotiations. …