Theresa May urged to end defence 'accounting deception'

Retired senior military figures have urged Theresa May to fix what they say is a funding crisis in Britain's armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been accused of "accounting deception" in claiming to meet NATO's target of spending 2% of GDP on defence, and giving "disingenuous" responses to questions about funding.

The intervention - from retired admirals, generals, air marshals, wounded war heroes and leading academics - comes in a letter obtained by The Sun.

It is the first public intervention in the General Election campaign by the military, and came as the Prime Minister met Jens Stoltenberg, the general secretary of NATO, on Wednesday.

The letter says security is threatened "in almost every corner of the globe", from "nuclear sabre-rattling over Crimea" to uncertainty over the future of NATO.

"The 2015 Strategic Defence & Security Review charted a path towards our future security," it says.

"But the necessary funding is simply not there to give it substance.

"Responses by the MoD to questions about the defence budget have been disingenuous, quoting irrelevant financial statistics."

Extremism in the Middle East, China's assertiveness and the "unpredictability" of North Korea "pose existential threats to allies and to international trade", the letter says.

It adds: "Government boasts of spending 2% of GDP on defence are widely criticised as an accounting deception.

"Most analysts agree core defence expenditure for hard military power is well below 2%."

The letter also echoes warnings from the Commons Public Accounts Committee that purchasing new equipment has been put at risk by the fall in the value of the pound.

It concludes: "The armed forces are having to seek further very damaging savings in manpower, support and training at a time when the likelihood of combat operations is increasing.

"These realities must be faced. They have been largely kept from public debate.

"Fund the review properly - and if this means a commitment to increase expenditure over the lifetime of the parliament, do it."