James Heappie, the outgoing Armed Forces Secretary, agreed with Defense Secretary Grant Shapps' assessment that Britain had moved to a “pre-war age” Photo: Corporal Nathan Tanuku/Army
Britain failed to prepare for war as a “nation effort”, former defense ministers warned in a sharp wake-up call to the government.
James Heappie, a former armed forces minister, said that only Whitehall officials from the Ministry of Defense (MoD) bothered to take part in the exercise to see how the country would be run from a British wartime bunker.
Two weeks after leaving office, the Conservative MP and former army officer called on ministers to prepare for conflict. He called on them to develop plans to confiscate land for cultivation to feed the nation and requisition consumer electronics for weapons.
His comments were echoed by Ben Wallace, the former defense secretary, who said “there have been cases like this.” “too many people” in the government “hope” that the current instability will “go away.”
Mr Wallace, who headed the Ministry of Defense until August last year, said it was time to “blow the dust off” the Cold War guidelines on how Britain would be governed during the war.
Criticism from On the part of the Ministry of Defense, the second comes as the government belatedly reconsiders its plans in the event of an all-out war against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East.
Mr Heppy, a former soldier who rose to the rank of major, served as defense minister for four years from February 2020 until March this year, when he announced he was leaving from the post of minister and will not participate in the general elections.
Writing in The Telegraph, he said he agreed with Defense Secretary Grant Shapps' assessment that Britain had entered a “pre-war era” following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
But he warned that Britain's preparedness was not up to par. scale of the threat, adding: “War is a nation's business and, frankly, in the UK we are very far behind.”
During the Cold War, Britain had a set of national plans – the Government War Book, which detailed how the country would transition from peace to war.
Mr Heppy, 43, said there were sections of the government that had not thought seriously about how Britain would act in war “since I was in primary school”.
“The post-Cold War peace dividend meant that our strategic resilience could fall down the list of government priorities,” he said. “Defense meant operations in distant places such as Afghanistan or Iraq, rather than in Western Europe and the North Atlantic.”
“As a result, the rest of the government didn't have to worry about defense – that was just left to the MoD.” He said this ignored the fact that a war must involve the whole of government.
Noting that some Cabinet ministers had reserved desks and beds in a UK war bunker, he said: “They are there because that their departments are as integral to the war effort as the Department of Defense.”
James Heappie warned that Britain's preparedness did not match the scale of the threat. Photograph: Geoff Gilbert
Mr Heppy said Mr Wallace, when he was defense secretary in 2022, “insisted on doing whole government exercises to get people into a bunker so they could see what it would be like their working environment during the war.”
< p>However, he said the proposal fell on deaf ears and said: “In the end, and quite disappointingly, only defense ministers, senior military officers and Ministry of Defense officials took part.”
“It’s a pity.” that the whole of Whitehall did not take part in this, not only because it was a useful exercise in ensuring continuity of government and would show how outdated many of our current procedures are, but also because – once the bunker doors are sealed – the mood quickly changes, and you begin to ask yourself very seriously what your job is at the most dangerous moment our country may face.”
Mr Heappie said ministers needed to have answers to a range of questions, from how Britain would feed itself during the war to how public services would run.
He said that as a minister , he led the effort to examine whether the legislation included in the War Book remained fit for purpose, but concluded that much of it was no longer fit for purpose.
Mr Wallace repeated his call for the Government to step up its game, telling The Telegraph: “The growing instability and insecurity directed at Britain and its allies means that the whole of society needs to take a step towards recognizing that our fundamental responsibility is to think about our defense and our resilience.
“That’s what we thought during the Cold War, and everyone from local governments to the Department of Defense played a role.”
Mr Wallace added that while the Department of Defense had “made changes” over the past few years, “too many people in government and society are relying solely on hope that everything will disappear.”
He added: “It's time to blow the dust off all the old Cold War leadership and processes, understand the role we have to play in it and modernize it.”
A senior national security official, who asked not to be named, agreed with two former ministers that the UK is not adequately prepared, saying: “We spend more time wondering whether we are diverse and inclusive enough than preparing for the threats that could potentially destroy a nation.
The source said that while Whitehall initially reacted to the Ukraine invasion as a “all government effort”, it was “back to business as usual”, adding: “It makes sense that we've lost our way a bit – we've lost momentum in building up industrial capacity.”
The source said good ideas to improve resilience ended up being “lost in the bureaucratic mire of the Cabinet Office or rejected by the Foreign Office, which does not want to acknowledge the sad reality of the modern world.”
The intervention by Mr Heppy and Mr Wallace comes at a time when Rishi Sunak is under pressure from many of his MPs to increase defense spending.
The UK currently spends around two per cent of GDP on defence, but Mr Sunak has been urged to include a commitment to a three per cent increase in the Conservative Party's election manifesto.
A government spokesman said: “We are investing a record amount in defense to protect the UK's national security and ensure the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. We invested an additional £24 billion between 2020 and 2025 – the biggest sustained increase since the end of the Cold War.
“The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies and scenarios, with plans and supporting mechanisms have been developed, refined and tested over many years.
“Practical steps taken to improve the country's resilience include the launch of the UK Government's Resilience Framework, the publication of the National Risk Register and increased work with local partners and local authorities.
“We regularly conduct cross-government planning exercises for a range of scenarios and We continue to review the risk landscape, including threats to the UK from abroad.”
The former ministers' comments will contribute to the wider debate about how the UK should defend itself.
In January, General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the Army, said the military should be able to train and equip a “citizen army” if necessary. Krisjanis Karins, Latvia's foreign minister, has suggested that Britain follow his country's example in reinstating conscription.
Last week Sir Alex Younger, the former head of MI6, said Britain could “as a last resort” follow Sweden's example by introducing a form of selective conscription.
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