Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey has responded to the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey, warning that the Government is neglecting its most fundamental duty and that decades of underinvestment have left UK’s armed forces in a perilous state.

Lord Empey said:

“The departure of the Defence Secretary confirms that the Government is failing in its primary duty: the defence of the nation.

“Money is being squandered on a dysfunctional asylum and immigration system and on equally unrealistic net zero schemes that are driving up the cost of living for everyone.

“There has been humiliation after humiliation, with our naval assets either breaking down or lying in dry dock for years. The recent farce in the Middle East, when we could only dispatch a single warship arriving late to the area, demonstrated the deeply troubling state of the Royal Navy.

“This has been a process of hollowing out our armed forces over more than 30 years. It must stop now. A serious commitment must be made to rebuilding our armed services if the UK is to be taken seriously by the international community.”