Ministers still wrangling over delayed defence investment plan

The government is still wrangling over a much-delayed plan for ordering the equipment needed to ensure the UK's armed forces are ready for war, MPs have been told. Ministers had promised to publish their 10-year defence investment plan before Christmas - but the top civil servant at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Jeremy Pocklington, said it had to be agreed by "everyone across government". "We are working hard to deliver it," Pocklington told the Commons defence committee, adding: "We will publish it as soon as we can." Labour's Michelle Scrogham warned that arms suppliers were having to lay off staff and put investment decisions on hold while they wait for the report to be published. The Barrow and Furness MP, whose constituency is home to several defence contractors, asked the MoD permanent secretary if he was aware of the impact the delay was having on them. He said he could see the "value in providing a clear signal to suppliers" but it was important to get the plan right. He added that he could not give MPs a publication date, saying: "We are working flat out to agree the plan with everyone across government." The UK's National Armaments Director Rupert Pearce apologised to th