Government wasted £5.7m on 'not fit for purpose' ear plugs, Labour report claims

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has insisted the Government is "serious about investing in defence modernisation" after the Labour Party accused them of wasting more than £13bn of taxpayers' money.

In Labour's audit, titled 'Dossier of waste in the Ministry of Defence 2010-2021', the party outlines 67 cases of "waste" in that time period.

The document goes on to accuse the Government of "failing British troops and British taxpayers", calling for a "revolution in the way the MOD controls costs".

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The MOD's annual spending budget is estimated at more than £40bn, with nearly half of that going towards equipment.

In March 2021, MPs warned that the department's 10-year military equipment and capabilities plan had a funding "black hole" potentially as big as £17.4bn.

It followed the announcement by the Government in the previous November of an additional £16.5bn of defence funding over the following four years.

The Labour Party's new report alleges:

• £4.8bn has been "wasted" by the Government on cancelled defence contracts since 2010
• £5.6bn "overspent" on MOD projects since 2010
• £71m spent on "unplanned life extensions"
• £2.6bn "wasted on write-offs"
• £64m "wasted on admin errors" including fines from the Treasury

The document goes on to highlight specific cases that Labour says show instances of waste, including a £1bn of overspend on four new Astute-class nuclear-powered submarines, £595m spent on the cancelled Warrior armoured vehicle programme, and £5.7m on ear plugs "not fit for purpose on operations".

Watch: The Public Accounts Committee in November described the MOD's system for procuring military equipment as "broken".

Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said: "The Government has no grip on spending at the Ministry of Defence.

"The National Audit Office (NAO) has declared the defence equipment plan "unaffordable" for the last four years in a row and has warned of a funding black hole in the defence budget of up to £17bn."

An MOD spokesperson said: "This Government is serious about investing in defence modernisation to ensure the UK Armed Forces have the relevant capabilities to face today's threats.

"That means taking tough decisions to replace old equipment and halt programmes that no longer fit requirements."