Armed Forces chiefs “lied” to ministers about defence procurement projects, a former defence secretary has claimed. Ben Wallace, who was in the role between 2019 and 2023, accused senior leaders of “hiding” the true cost of spending projects “for fear of not getting them”.
Mr Wallace made the claims to the Telegraph in a week where it emerged that military leaders had failed to disclose potential issues with the Ajax armoured vehicle before it was signed off to be used by troops. Thirty one soldiers subsequently needed medical attention after spending 10 to 15 hours inside the vehicle, which was delivered six years late and significantly over budget.
Mr Wallace said: “It’s absolutely the case that successive governments and officials are misled by services hiding the true cost of programmes for fear of not getting them.
“There were occasions in my time where services hid the true cost of programmes and the true timelines.”
The Ajax programme is just one of several high-profile, multi-million projects to have run over budget and been besieged by delays.
Mr Wallace criticised RAF bosses who he accused of attempting to sabotage efforts to reduce the number of aircraft being bought due to worries about cost.
Ministers had cut the number of E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft on order from five to three due to a lack of funds.
The £760million plane was due to cost the British taxpayer in excess of £2billion, as Britain tried to follow other NATO allies in reducing the number of airframes they would purchase.
Mr Wallace added: “I was smart to all their tricks… and caught some of them at it, but I didn’t always catch them.
“I discovered on orders that while [the RAF] didn’t buy five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft, they bought five radars, two of which are still stuck in sheds now.”
The claims come in the week that it was revealed that Defence Minister Luke Pollard was not made aware of concerns surrounding the Ajax platform prior to signing the armoured vehicle off for use by soldiers.
Mr Pollard told reporters in Merthyr Tydfil on November 5: “Ajax has overcome significant challenges, but importantly, we can say it has left its troubles behind.
“Ajax has proved itself in the field to be the most advanced medium-weight armoured fighting vehicle on the planet, and we have more than a full squadron ready to go, ready to fight, ready to win, with more in the pipeline.”
Mr Pollard is understood to have had written assurances from senior officers overseeing the project but was forced to issue a “do not use” order across the Army following dozens of injures to soldiers, three of whom are now at risk of being medically discharged from the forces.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence told the Telegraph: “All of defence is committed to ensuring value for money and as part of our defence reforms we’re speeding up procurement, tackling waste, and improving outcomes for the military.
“Central to this is our appointment of a National Armaments Director and future procurement reforms will create a stronger defence centre through delivering the Defence Industrial Strategy, ensuring a resilient supply chain and leading on UK defence exports.
“This will provide better value for money for taxpayers, better outcomes for our Armed Forces, and better implement the Strategic Defence Reviews’ aims on war fighting readiness and resilience.
“The decisions on Wedgetail were made by the previous government.”
The MOD also maintains that the safety of Armed Forces personnel remains their top priority following the pause on use of the Ajax armoured vehicle.
the spokesperson added: “Out of an abundance of caution, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry (MinDRI) has asked the Army to pause all use of Ajax for training and exercising, while a safety investigation is carried out into the events this weekend.
“Safety investigations during Ajax’s extensive trials – covering more than 42,000km – found no systemic issues with the vehicle, and that information formed part of the advice to declare IOC (ready for use).
“As safety is the top priority of the Ministerial Team, prior to IOC, MinDRI asked for and was given assurances on the safety of Ajax in writing by senior Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel that the system was safe.”
