By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-01 11:26:13 | Updated at 2026-10-02 14:13:25
1 day ago
Taxpayers' money totalling more than £25million was wasted by the Ministry of Defence over the past year.
This included botched equipment deliveries, bureaucratic mistakes, scrapped contracts and hotel rooms nobody used.
The sum is more than double the annual average of £11million in so-called "fruitless" payments recorded between 2020 and 2024 and dwarfs the £9million wasted across the entire period from 2016 to 2019.
Upon taking the role in July, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting pledged to ensure "every penny is spent wisely" at the MoD, a commitment he said mirrored his approach as health secretary.
The largest waste revealed in the freedom of information data secured by the SNP was £5.4million spent on "in-service support costs" for an unnamed MoD asset whose capability was later discontinued.
A further £5million was lost when a contract to bring the minehunter HMS Bangor home from Bahrain on a heavy-lift ship was cancelled "for operational reasons."
The vessel was badly damaged in a collision with HMS Chiddingfold in January 2024, and an MoD source said the costs were unavoidable because deteriorating regional security forced a pause in all military activity.
Delays to Submarine Delivery Agency training caused by unavailable government equipment and facilities resulted in £4.4million being paid to a contractor.
A further £5million was lost when a contract to bring the minehunter HMS Bangor home from Bahrain
GETTY
Separately, £1million was lost on equipment bought from an overseas supplier after foreign authorities seized the goods before they reached Britain.
Administrative blunders alone cost more than £2million in fines and interest charges levied by HMRC, stemming from late or unpaid tax and National Insurance contributions as well as incorrectly categorised invoices.
Officials also failed to claim hundreds of thousands of pounds in recoverable VAT.
Another £100,000 was spent on hotel accommodation for a conference that defence personnel never attended.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting pledged to ensure 'every penny is spent wisely'
PA
These failures have come to light as the armed forces are forced into severe cost-cutting measures.
In September, the army was abruptly ordered to halt major training exercises involving tanks and helicopters to save at least £30million.
Dave Doogan, the SNP's Westminster leader, accused the government of neglecting the military while frittering away public funds.
"The armed forces have been hollowed out all the while Whitehall is throwing taxpayer money up the wall," he told the Times, adding: "Over £25m of our money has been blasted on payments that have delivered absolutely nothing - this is very serious and requires proper explanation."
Dave Doogan, the SNP's Westminster leader, accused the government of neglecting the military while frittering away public funds
PA
Mr Doogan continued: "At a time when Andy Burnham is set to inflict further tax hikes on already hard-pressed household budgets, he must get a grip on out-of-control Westminster waste."
The MoD's "fruitless" payments are officially defined as those where the department receives nothing useful in return and either should not have incurred the liability or could have avoided it.
The Ministry of Defence said: "We are delivering the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, investing £298bn over the next four years.
"These figures represent a very small proportion of the defence budget. However, we are clear that every pound of taxpayers’ money must be spent wisely to deliver the maximum possible impact for our armed forces."
