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Ministry of Defence accused of ‘failing British troops and taxpayers’ — Analysis

Labour has released a report citing 67 cases of “waste” by the Ministry, including cancelled contracts and budget overruns

In a new report, the Labour Party accuses the government of having “wasted” £13 billion ($17.61 billion) of taxpayers’ money on military projects since 2010, after multiple endeavors were either canceled or hit by costly delays.

The UK’s official opposition released the damning assessment of the government’s spending at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) after scrutinizing the department’s finances since 2010.

The Labour Party has claimed that it has found 67 instances of MoD spending in the past decade since the Conservatives assumed office. “waste,”Where costs can be reduced or avoided if management is more effective

Addressing the MoD’s finances, Labour claimed it showed the UK government is “failing British troops and British taxpayers,”Being “wasted” £13 billion of money during its time in government.

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Among the examples given by Labour are £4.8 billion ($6.5 billion) spent on canceled contracts and £5.6 billion ($7.58 billion) on ongoing projects that have overrun or where overspending has occurred.

Labour isn’t the only group that has raised concerns over the MoD’s profligate spending. The UK’s National Audit Office and the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee have both previously raised concerns. In November 2021, the Public Accounts Committee claimed the MoD’s procurement arm was “wasting billions of taxpayers’ money,” slamming the department’s “repeated failure.”

The UK’s annual MoD budget is thought to be more than £40 billion ($54.17 billion) a year, with around half of that estimated to be spent on equipment. The MoD is responsible for managing roughly a fifth of all the UK government’s major projects. However, the government has not reported any of the 36 currently underway major projects as on-time or within their original budget.

MoD has responded to the allegations by claiming it must take “tough decisions”To ensure that the UK is adequately protected from any potential threats.

“This government is serious about investing in defence modernisation to ensure the UK armed forces have the relevant capabilities to face today’s threats,”The MoD stated in a statement that it had a “fully-funded equipment plan” To “maximise the benefits of investments.”

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