Former Nato Secretary General George Robertson, who led the UK government's own defence review, has taken a break from retirement to inform Prime Minister Keir Starmer that his new defence investment plan (Dip) is, to put it mildly, not great. Testifying before the defence select committee on Tuesday, Lord Robertson explained that the Dip has managed to damage confidence in both the defence industry and among Britain's allies - right as they're all gathering in Ankara for the Nato summit. It's the equivalent of showing up to a party with a half-empty bag of crisps and announcing you'll bring more next year.

Robertson noted that the review assumed a ten-year window before a peer opponent might challenge the UK, but that timeline has been "accelerated" - a polite way of saying Russia is already there, waving. "Quite simply we're running out of years," he told MPs, adding that some defence companies may have "gone bust" waiting for the certainty the review was supposed to provide. So much for that.

As Starmer jets off to Turkey for what's being billed as his final foreign trip as prime minister, Robertson warned he might face a chilly reception. "He'll be sitting beside President Trump in alphabetical order around the North Atlantic Council table," Robertson said, "and I think relations may well be quite frosty." Especially since Germany and Poland are now spending considerably more than the UK, which is never a good look.

The plan's delays - nearly a year late - and the subsequent scramble for cash have overshadowed what Starmer hoped would be a legacy moment. The review was supposedly fully funded, but then military chiefs asked for an extra £28 billion. The Treasury coughed up £15 billion, of which £4.7 billion is still unallocated, leaving a nice headache for the next prime minister, presumably Andy Burnham. Meanwhile, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has called for allies to present "clear, concrete and credible plans" to hit spending targets, adding that President Trump "fully expects" everyone to get on the path to 5% - and with urgency, please.