By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-06-10 04:49:27 | Updated at 2026-06-10 15:32:21
10 hours ago
Sir Keir Starmer could scrap the next generation of Royal Navy destroyers in his long-overdue defence plan.
The Prime Minister could delay - or drop - plans to build Type 83 destroyers, which would have replaced the Navy's ageing fleet of Type 45 destroyers between 2035 and 2038.
The plans have been put on the backburner amid a bitter funding row between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Treasury over Sir Keir's Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
A final decision on the new class of destroyer would be decided ahead of the long-delayed plan's publication - potentially Thursday - but officials are still negotiating what projects the Government will fund.
Senior military sources told The Telegraph the new class of warship was likely to be delayed or scrapped to make room for other priorities, including a major expansion into drone techonology.
The timeline for the decision was to be submitted this month.
Naval chiefs have also proposed a "hybrid navy" approach, which would combine the traditional war ships with a fleet of unmanned autonomous drones.
The two helicopter pilots who had their US Army Apache helicopter downed in Iran were rescued by a remotely-operated sea drone, believed to be the first rescue conducted by a surface drone.
Sir Keir Starmer could scrap the next generation of Royal Navy destroyers
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Further delays to the defence plan could leave the existing Type 45 destroyers afloat for longer than originally expected.
The ships have been notoriously unreliable in warm water, and have repeatedly broken down while on deployment in the Middle East or Mediterranean.
One, HMS Dragon, suffered a series of embarrassing delays after she was deployed to help defend RAF Akrotiri, in Cyprus.
The Type 83 class destroyers are still in the early design stage, though they are expected to feature the lastest air-defence technology and ballistic-missile systems.
HMS Dragon was delayed by a week when needed to defend RAF Akrotiri
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There are also plans to host future hypersonic missiles and advanced AI technology.
The MoD has not revealed how many Type 83 vessels would be planned, though ministers have said the number would only be confirmed at the full business case stage, if that ever arrives.
Alongside the destroyers, the next generation of fighter jets to replace the current fleet of RAF Typhoons and the purchase of nuclear-capable F-35A jets could also be delayed.
Defence Secretary John Healey believes the MoD needs an additional £18billion in order to meet the threat level laid out in last year's Strategic Defence Review.
In total, boosting defence could cost at least £28billion, but both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister are thought to want to water down that number to as little as £12billion over concerns it is unaffordable.
The DIP is expected to be published on Thursday - but ministers are at loggerheads as to how much investment there will be
The Department for Transport and Department for Energy, meanwhile, have been told to make savings from major infrastructure projects in order to properly fund defence.
The Government is looking to publish its Defence Investment Plan before a Nato summit in Turkish capital Ankara on July 7.
But repeated delays and a damning Public Accounts Committee report last weekend led Tory defence spokesman Mark Francois to accuse Labour of "failing the defences of this country".
"Now we can see the stark effect of Labour's £3.5billion in-year cuts to Ministry of Defence operational and revenue spending," Mr Francois said.
"Their much-vaunted DIP has still not been published, and now this. This Labour Government is failing the defences of this country - literally both above and below the waves."
While last month, former Nato Secretary General Lord Robertson warned that Britain's security is "in peril".
In a scathing speech, he admitted: "We cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget.
"We are under-prepared. We are under-insured. We are under attack. We are not safe... Britain's national security and safety is in peril."
An MoD spokesman said: "The Defence Investment Plan will deliver the best equipment and technology into the hands of our frontline forces at speed, while investing in and growing the UK economy.
"We are working across government to finalise the plan and as the Defence Secretary said last week, the Prime Minister is determined to publish it before the Nato summit."
