Downing Street Military Gagging Order Triggered by Starmer Spat With Defence Chiefs – Guido Fawkes

EXC: Downing Street Military Gagging Order Triggered by Starmer Spat With Defence Chiefs

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The soon-to-be-outgoing Chief of the Defence Staff Tony Radakin’s relationship with Downing Street is cited by multiple sources as the trigger for Starmer’s unprecedented gagging order on military personnel. The farcical order means a bizarre mishmash of officers are on or off-record at events where journalists are present…

Downing Street’s comms team has enforced the order on the MoD – to much consternation in the chain of command. The gag is widely seen as unsustainable, as Defence Chiefs have always been free to speak their minds…

Guido hears it is Admiral Sir Tony Radakin and his office that has caused the most anger in Downing Street – particularly over his remarks around the Strategic Defence Review. Radakin has been careful in his wording on the SDR. When it came out the adjectives he used to describe it to the press were “brand new”…

A few days ago he said of European allies: “Never mind our 50 tanks or our modest increase in the Army; they are increasing their armies by tens of thousands and they are increasing their tanks by hundreds.” He said of the Royal Navy: “We continue with the existing programme and we make some progress in the 2020s, but the really significant progress is in the 2030s when we’re heading to three per cent.” Starmer won’t guarantee it…

Radakin views the 3% defence spending rise as a priority. Starmer has been bruised by his failure to secure a path to that target, which remains only an “ambition.” Relations between the MoD and Downing Street are extremely frayed, and the gagging order is unlikely to be lifted under the current CDS. Radakin’s extended term runs until autumn this year. Downing Street will be hoping that the installation of a new CDS may change things, it will be Starmer’s pick…