What are the unions objecting to?
Union leaders are understood to have told ministers the plan was weak and did not recognise their part in pushing for British-built defence equipment and creating jobs, especially apprenticeships. One union source said the plan “lacked a union voice”. Unions represent many of the people who work in defence, so a plan they reject is harder to deliver.
Youth employment and defence workforce needs
The plan aims to ensure that increased defence spending creates jobs for people in the UK. It comes as an estimated 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 remain outside education, employment, or training, a situation Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has described as a “moral emergency”. In September, defence firms pledged opportunities for 40,000 young people a year by 2030, rising to 50,000 by 2035. These efforts come as the defence industry faces its own workforce challenge, with around 53,000 additional workers expected to be needed by 2035. The plan is intended to set out how the sector can meet this demand, including through at least 14,000 apprenticeships.
Setback for government plans to tackle youth unemployment
The delay disrupts a run of announcements. Ministers said on Monday that jobs plans for business services, construction, technology and defence would be published this week. The defence plan was due ahead of Alan Milburn’s final report on young people not in work or education, now expected next month after its own delay.
Defence funding is still being worked out
The government has pledged to reach NATO’s target of 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035 but has not said how it will get there. Chancellor John Healey, who must also fill a £4.7 billion gap in the existing Defence Investment Plan, delivers his first Budget on 28 October. Ministers say that plan’s £298 billion of investment will create more than 60,000 roles, so funding choices will shape how many jobs materialise.
Ministers and unions are due to meet again soon, according to one source, and the Ministry of Defence says the plan will be published when ready. Watch whether the final version gives unions a formal role, for example in apprenticeships.