Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

UK treasury reportedly admits 'no more money' for defense

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 6 Feb 2023 09:54
  • 4 Shares
3 Min Read

The British Treasury stated that it will not be able to devote funding to raise the UK's defense budget.

  • x
  • Members of the Kiev territorial defense units. (Getty Images)
    Members of the Ukrainian territorial defense units. (Getty Images)

A senior US general reportedly told UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace last month that the British army was no longer considered a top-level fighting force.

According to unnamed defense sources quoted by Sky News, the UK Treasury has no additional funds for the nation's defense despite admitting the urgent need to rearm in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

The UK will not provide as many troops as the other NATO members desire for the alliance's key new military structure, which is intended to reinforce its defenses, they also said.

Insiders revealed that Downing Street had already been urged to increase the defense budget by a minimum of £3 billion ($3.6 billion) a year and halt plans to decrease the size of the UK army. 

Read next: West in too deep in Ukraine war, 'can't afford' to lose: Newsweek

Related News

UK Trained Over 60k Ukrainian Troops Since 2014

Everything wrong with Ben Wallace's commentary on Netanyahu

The sources added that they know “at the moment the Treasury and the chancellor [Jeremy Hunt] are playing hardball.”
 
“They recognize the threats. They recognize the pressure defense is under from inflation, the nuclear deterrent, stockpiles and Ukraine. But despite recognizing the threats and the pressure, they say there is no more money”, according to the insiders.
 
Regarding the new force model for NATO, they stated that the alliance as a whole anticipates having more than 300,000 military members.

Read next: Ukrainian troops quick to master Challenger 2 tanks: UK

As part of a significant restructuring of NATO's capacity "to defend itself and deter threats" in the wake of the war in Ukraine, the new force will be entrusted with maintaining a significantly greater level of readiness.

The sources asserted that rather than a division of up to 30,000 soldiers or even more, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will only be able to "credibly" dispatch a brigade of 5,000–10,000 soldiers supported by weaponry, armored vehicles, and helicopters.
 
“Other nations will be offering divisions or corps. They can say that with confidence because they have now made the investment. For the UK, not only have we not made those investments - and there is no sign the chancellor will - but we are actually cutting the army,” one source pointed out.

Read next: UK to run out of financial support for Ukraine by end of 2022: Reports
 
Plans from the Defense Ministry call for a reduction of the army's 82,000 full-time soldiers to 73,000.
The allegations follow last week's disclosure in a UK publication that the British army had handed all of its remaining heavy weapons to Ukraine.

All of the UK’s 30 serviceable AS-90 self-propelled artillery guns have been sent to Kiev, according to the newspaper. "The decision to give them away has stripped two Royal Artillery regiments, based on Salisbury Plain, Wilts, of all their working weapons. If gunners don’t have guns we can’t fight, we can’t train,” an unnamed defense source added to The Sun.

The British government last month announced intentions to send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks (MBTs) to Kiev along with ammunition, logistical assistance, training, and training. Soon after, both Germany and the US signaled their preparedness to send their MBTs, the Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams, to Ukraine.

  • Ben Wallace
  • war in Ukraine
  • United Kingdom
  • Ukraine
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS