The $30 billion gamble

The Defence Investment Plan, expected to set out funding for Britain's depleted and overstretched armed forces over the next four years , is still 'weeks' away from being published.

According to the report, the delay has been met with dismay by two of Britain's most senior former military chiefs, who have warned that the continued delay poses a major risk to Britons' security.

General Dannatt, who served as Chief of the General Staff from 2006 to 2009,has stated that the delay is putting the security of the country and Europe through NATO membership at severe risk .

He also accused the government of being weak and unable to provide leadership.

Admiral Lord Alan West, the former First Sea Lord, has also condemned the delay, stating that it is 'extremely damaging' to Britain's defence .

He has also criticized the government's political infighting at a time of acute national crisis.

A familiar pattern from the 2019 crash

The Defence Investment Plan delay has already had a brutal impact on Britain's defence production industry, with British companies forced to shut up shop or move overseas to secure funding.

The government has denied that the delay is due to a desire to 'put it off', but instead claimed that it is due to a desire to 'get it right'.

However, critics have accused the government of delaying the publication until after the Makerfield by-election on June 18, in order to avoid criticism of pending cuts to the Armed Forces.

Who is the unnamed buyer?

Two former Defence Secretaries, Dame Penny Mordaunt and Sir Gavin Williamson, have also added their voices to the list of people calling on the government to finally act and make the announcement.

Dame Penny Mordaunt has stated that the government seems incapable of acting, and that every day of delay to the DIP is a day that the armed forces and industrial base are set back in modernising defence against the already present threat.

According to the report, the Defence Investment Plan is expected to set out funding for Britain's depleted and overstretched armed forces over the next four years.

It is expected that the government will find between £15 billion and £18 billion of additional spending for the military, following pressure from NATO countries to up their contributions.

What auditors flagged in the May filing

The delay has sparked warnings from top military cheifs, who have accused the government of being weak and unable to provide leadership.

General Dannatt has stated that the delay is putting the security of the country and Europe through NATO membership at severe risk.

Admiral Lord Alan West has also condemned the delay, stating that it is 'extremely damaging' to Britain's defence .