93-763: The Service Prosecuting Authority ( SPA ) is the organisation within the Ministry of Defence , responsible for consideration of cases referred to it by the Service Police and where appropriate the Military Chain of command and where necessary the directing and prosecuting of those cases at Courts Martial worldwide and in the Service Civilian Court. Furthermore, it acts as respondent in the Summary Appeal Court and represents
186-404: A Disarmament Convention, and then said: when I speak of a Disarmament Convention I do not mean disarmament on the part of this country and not on the part of any other. I mean the limitation of armaments as a real limitation...and if we find ourselves on some lower rating and that some other country has higher figures, that country has to come down and we have to go up until we meet. Germany left
279-466: A concern during the 1930s, Stanley Baldwin created the position of Minister for Co-ordination of Defence . Ernle Chatfield, 1st Baron Chatfield held the post until the fall of the Chamberlain government in 1940. His success was limited by his lack of control over the existing Service departments, and his lack of political influence. On forming his government in 1940, Winston Churchill created
372-402: A cry, "Hands off Russia", I think it's time somebody said to Russia, "Hands off England". Baldwin's new Cabinet now included many former political associates of Lloyd George: former Coalition Conservatives: Austen Chamberlain (as foreign secretary), Lord Birkenhead (secretary for India) and Arthur Balfour (lord president after 1925), and the former Liberal Winston Churchill as chancellor of
465-595: A defence policy with four primary missions for the Armed Forces: The review stated the Armed Forces will also contribute to the government's response to crises by being prepared to: Defence is governed and managed by several committees. The following organisational groups come under the control of the MOD. Top level budgets The MOD comprises seven top-level budgets . The head of each organisation
558-525: A general election, but Baldwin felt bound by Bonar Law's pledge at the previous election that there would be no introduction of tariffs without a further election. Thus Baldwin turned towards a degree of protectionism which would remain a key party message during his lifetime. With the country facing growing unemployment in the wake of free trade imports driving down prices and profits, Baldwin decided to call an early general election in December 1923 to seek
651-579: A government department and has responsibility for the strategy, performance, reform, organisation and the finances of the MOD. The role works closely with the Chief of the Defence Staff in leading the organisation and supporting Ministers in the conduct of business in the department across the full range of responsibilities. The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 included £178 billion investment in new equipment and capabilities. The review set
744-611: A humanitarian welfare state which would guarantee a minimum living standard for those unable to work or who took out national insurance . In 1927, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society . In 1929 Labour returned to office as the largest party in the House of Commons (although without an overall majority) despite obtaining fewer votes than the Conservatives. In opposition, Baldwin was almost ousted as party leader by
837-705: A loan to the Soviet Union. Baldwin decided to vote against the government over the Russian Treaties, which brought the government down on 8 October. The general election held in October 1924 brought a landslide majority of 223 for the Conservative party, primarily at the expense of an unpopular Liberal Party . Baldwin campaigned on the "impracticability" of socialism, the Campbell Case ,
930-426: A mandate to introduce protectionist tariffs which, he hoped, would drive down unemployment and spur an economic recovery. He expected to unite his party but he divided it, for protectionism proved a divisive issue. The election was inconclusive: the Conservatives had 258 MPs, Labour 191 and the reunited Liberals 159. Whilst the Conservatives retained a plurality in the House of Commons, they had been clearly defeated on
1023-605: A million people along the south coast of England, from Torquay to the New Forest , were exposed to bacteria including E.coli and Bacillus globigii , which mimics anthrax ." Two scientists commissioned by the Ministry of Defence stated that these trials posed no risk to the public. This was confirmed by Sue Ellison, a representative of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down who said that
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#17327726850761116-577: A party-political issue. The Labour government was negotiating with the Soviet government over intended commercial treaties – 'the Russian Treaties' – to provide most favoured nation privileges and diplomatic status for the UK trade delegation; and a treaty that would settle the claims of pre-revolutionary British bondholders and holders of confiscated property, after which the British government would guarantee
1209-417: A position inferior to any country within striking distance of our shores. On 29 March 1934 Germany published its defence estimates, which showed a total increase of one-third and an increase of 250% in its air force. A series of by-elections in late 1933 and early 1934 with massive swings against government candidates—most famous was Fulham East with a 26.5% swing— convinced Baldwin that the British public
1302-618: A prosperous family in Bewdley , Worcestershire, Baldwin was educated at Hawtreys , Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge . He joined the family iron- and steel-making business, and entered the House of Commons in 1908 as the member for Bewdley , succeeding his father Alfred . He was Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1917–1921) and President of the Board of Trade (1921–1922) in
1395-563: A racial discrimination claim against the Ministry of Defence (MoD). In November 2019, mixed race soldier Mark De Kretser sued MoD for £100k claiming he was subjected to "grindingly repetitive" racist taunts from colleagues. In October 2009, the MOD was heavily criticised for withdrawing the bi-annual non-operational training £20m budget for the Territorial Army (TA), ending all non-operational training for six months until April 2010. The government eventually backed down and restored
1488-641: A rearmament programme as early as 1934 but had to do so quietly to avoid antagonising the public, whose pacifism was revealed by the Peace Ballot of 1934–35 and endorsed by both the Labour and the Liberal oppositions. His thorough presentation of the case for rearmament in 1935, his son argued, defeated pacifism and secured a victory that allowed rearmament to move ahead. On 31 July 1934, the Cabinet approved
1581-577: A report that called for expansion of the Royal Air Force to the 1923 standard by creating 40 new squadrons over the next five years. On 26 November 1934, six days after receiving the news that the German air force would be as large as the RAF within one year, the Cabinet decided to speed up air rearmament from four years to two. On 28 November 1934, Churchill moved an amendment to the vote of thanks for
1674-527: A result of a bombing raid which destroyed the Café de Paris nightclub she was attending. She required facial reconstruction surgery from the pioneering surgeon Archibald MacIndoe . Baldwin proved to be an adept businessman, and acquired a reputation as a modernising industrialist. He inherited £200,000, equivalent to £26,376,221 in 2023, and a directorship of the Great Western Railway on
1767-593: A system called the Defence Sourcing Portal. A separate internal policy generally operates in respect of low value purchasing below this threshold. DEFCON contract conditions are numbered defence contract conditions are in contracts issued by the MOD (not to be confused with DEFCON as used by the United States Armed Forces , which refers to a level of military "defence readiness condition"). Examples include: A full set of
1860-744: A terrible thing, in fact, the beginning of the end". In April 1933 the Cabinet agreed to follow through with the construction of the Singapore military base. On 15 September 1933, the German delegate at the Disarmament Conference refused to return to the Conference, and Germany left altogether in October. Baldwin, in a speech on 6 October to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, pleaded for
1953-562: A year (the fastest rate of growth in the world). One of his legislative reforms was a paradigm shift in his party. This was the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act 1925 ( 15 & 16 Geo. 5 . c. 70), which provided a pension of 10 shillings a week for widows with extra for children, and 10 shillings a week for insured workers and their wives at 65. This transformed Toryism , away from its historic reliance on community (particularly religious) charities, and towards acceptance of
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#17327726850762046-585: A young man he served briefly as a second lieutenant in the Artillery Volunteers at Malvern , and in 1897 became a JP for the county of Worcestershire . Baldwin married Lucy Ridsdale on 12 September 1892. Following the birth of a still-born son in January 1894, the couple had six surviving children: Baldwin's youngest daughter, Lady Betty, was severely injured by shrapnel in March 1941 as
2139-604: Is neoclassical in style and was originally built between 1938 and 1959 to designs by Vincent Harris to house the Air Ministry and the Board of Trade . A major refurbishment of the building was completed under a Private Finance Initiative contract by Skanska in 2004. The northern entrance in Horse Guards Avenue is flanked by two monumental statues, Earth and Water , by Charles Wheeler . Opposite stands
2232-617: Is "in excess of £3.3 billion". The defence estate is divided as training areas & ranges (84.0%), research & development (5.4%), airfields (3.4%), barracks & camps (2.5%), storage & supply depots (1.6%), and other (3.0%). These are largely managed by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation . The headquarters of the MOD are in Whitehall and is known as MOD Main Building . This structure
2325-701: Is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom . It is responsible for implementing the defence policy set by the government and serves as the headquarters of the British Armed Forces . The MOD states that its principal objectives are to defend the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its interests and to strengthen international peace and stability. The MOD also manages day-to-day running of
2418-568: Is also the Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel). Permanent Secretary and other senior officials The Ministers and Chiefs of the Defence Staff are supported by several civilian, scientific and professional military advisors. The Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence (generally known as the Permanent Secretary ) is the senior civil servant at the MOD. Their role is to ensure that it operates effectively as
2511-408: Is evil and should go, the thing will be done; but if they do not feel like that – well, as I say, the future is in their hands. But when the next war comes, and European civilisation is wiped out, as it will be, and by no force more than that force, then do not let them lay blame on the old men. Let them remember that they, principally, or they alone, are responsible for the terrors that have fallen upon
2604-717: Is personally accountable for the performance and outputs of their particular organisation. These are: Executive agencies Executive non-departmental public bodies Advisory non-departmental public bodies Ad-hoc advisory group Other bodies Public corporations Enabling organisation In addition, the MOD is responsible for the administration of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus. Competitive procurement processes are used whenever possible, and all new direct tender and contract opportunities valued over £10,000 are advertised on
2697-454: Is well also for the man in the street to realise that there is no power on earth that can protect him from being bombed. Whatever people may tell him, the bomber will always get through , The only defence is in offence, which means that you have to kill more women and children more quickly than the enemy if you want to save yourselves...If the conscience of the young men should ever come to feel, with regard to this one instrument [bombing] that it
2790-744: The Royal Air Force Prosecuting Authority ( RAFPA ). The authority is headed by Jonathan Rees KC , a civil servant , as Director Service Prosecutions. The Deputy Director Service Prosecutions (DDSP) was formerly a Brigadier position and is now held by a Civil Servant. The SPA liaises with the Military Court Service, the office of the Judge Advocate General , the Attorney-General , other prosecuting authorities (including
2883-612: The 1931 general election . As Lord President of the Council and one of four Conservatives among the small ten-member Cabinet, Baldwin took over many of the Prime Minister's duties when MacDonald's health deteriorated. This government saw an Act delivering increased self-government for India, a measure opposed by Churchill and by many rank-and-file Conservatives. The Statute of Westminster 1931 gave Dominion status to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, while taking
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2976-693: The Crown Prosecution Service ), civilian solicitors , and the military and civilian police . It is staffed by officers from all three of the UK Armed Forces and is supported by a number of civil servants who work for the Ministry of Defence. Its headquarters are at RAF Northolt in West London . As part of the Armed Forces Act 2006 , the separate prosecution authorities of HM Armed Forces were merged to form
3069-701: The Gurkha Monument, sculpted by Philip Jackson and unveiled in 1997 by Queen Elizabeth II . Within it is the Victoria Cross and George Cross Memorial, and nearby are memorials to the Fleet Air Arm and RAF (to its east, facing the riverside). Henry VIII 's wine cellar at the Palace of Whitehall , built in 1514–1516 for Cardinal Wolsey , is in the basement of Main Building, and is used for entertainment. The entire vaulted brick structure of
3162-534: The League of Nations on 14 October. The Cabinet decided on 23 October that Britain should still attempt to cooperate with other states, including Germany, in international disarmament. However between mid-September 1933 and the beginning of 1934 Baldwin's mind changed from hoping for disarmament to favouring rearmament, including parity in aircraft. In late 1933 and early 1934 he rejected an invitation from Hitler to meet him, believing that visits to foreign capitals were
3255-593: The Luftwaffe was nearing equality with the RAF. Baldwin responded by denying that the Luftwaffe was approaching equality and said it was "not 50 per cent" of the RAF. He added that by the end of 1935 the RAF would still have "a margin of nearly 50 per cent" in Europe. After Baldwin said that the government would ensure the RAF had parity with the future German air force, Churchill withdrew his amendment. In April 1935,
3348-623: The Second World War . However, some have praised Baldwin for his role in forcing and expediting the abdication of Edward VIII , as rumours circulated about Edward's Nazi sympathies and potential compromises to British national security. Today, modern scholars generally rank him in the upper half of British prime ministers. Baldwin was born at Lower Park House (Lower Park, Bewdley ) in Worcestershire , England, to Alfred and Louisa (MacDonald) Baldwin , and through his mother
3441-533: The Zinoviev letter (which Baldwin thought was genuine, and the Conservatives leaked to the Daily Mail at a most damaging time to the Labour campaign; the letter is now widely believed to have been a forgery ) and the Russian Treaties. In a speech during the campaign Baldwin said: It makes my blood boil to read of the way which Mr. Zinoviev is speaking of the Prime Minister today. Though one time there went up
3534-619: The abdication of King Edward VIII . Baldwin's third government saw a number of crises in foreign affairs, including the public uproar over the Hoare–Laval Pact , the remilitarisation of the Rhineland , and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War . Baldwin stepped down in 1937 and was succeeded by Neville Chamberlain. Historical retrospection and analysis of Baldwin's political career have been complex. During his tenure, Baldwin
3627-728: The coalition ministry of David Lloyd George and then rose rapidly. In 1922, Baldwin was one of the prime movers in the withdrawal of Conservative support from Lloyd George; he subsequently became Chancellor of the Exchequer in Bonar Law 's Conservative ministry. Upon Law's resignation for health reasons in May 1923, Baldwin became prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party . He called an election in December 1923 on
3720-404: The press barons Lords Rothermere and Beaverbrook, whom he accused of enjoying "power without responsibility, the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages". Ramsden argues that Baldwin made dramatic permanent improvements to the organisation and effectiveness of the Conservative Party. He enlarged the headquarters with professionals, professionalised the party agents, raised ample funds, and
3813-467: The Air Secretary reported that although Britain's strength in the air would be ahead of Germany's for at least three years, air rearmament needed to be increased; so the Cabinet agreed to the creation of an extra 39 squadrons for home defence by 1937. However, on 8 May 1935, the Cabinet heard that it was estimated that the RAF was inferior to the Luftwaffe by 370 aircraft and that to reach parity,
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3906-574: The Board of Trade . In late 1922 dissatisfaction was steadily growing within the Conservative Party over its coalition with the Liberal David Lloyd George . At a meeting of Conservative MPs at the Carlton Club in October, Baldwin announced that he would no longer support the coalition, and famously condemned Lloyd George for being a "dynamic force" that was bringing destruction across politics. The meeting chose to leave
3999-945: The Crown in the Courts Martial Appeal Court (CMAC). The authority, which is fully independent of the Military Chain of Command and acts under the superintendence of the Attorney General , was formed on 1 January 2009 by the merger of three separate prosecuting authorities: the Army Prosecuting Authority ( APA ) of the British Army , the Navy Prosecution Authority ( NPA ) of the Royal Navy and
4092-414: The DEFCONs can be accessed via the MoD's Defence Gateway (registration required). The government noted in 2013 that the MoD's third-party expenditure was characterised by "complex, high-value contracts". Defence purchasing contributes to government ambitions to make supply chains more accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises , but the government commented that it had yet to secure good insight into
4185-412: The Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the British Armed Forces and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister . The CDS is supported by the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (VCDS) who deputises and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the armed services aspect of the MOD through the Central Staff, working closely alongside
4278-419: The King's Speech: "the strength of our national defences, and especially our air defences, is no longer adequate". His motion was known eight days before it was moved, and a special Cabinet meeting decided how to deal with the motion, which dominated two other Cabinet meetings. Churchill said Germany was rearming and requested that the money spent on air armaments be doubled or tripled to deter an attack and that
4371-410: The Labour government was defeated for the first time in the Commons, although the Conservatives decided to vote with Labour later that day against the Liberals. During a debate on the naval estimates the Conservatives opposed Labour but supported them on 18 March in a vote on cutting expenditure on the Singapore military base. Baldwin also cooperated with MacDonald over Irish policy to stop it becoming
4464-453: The Liberal Party. They included industrial conciliation, unemployment insurance, a more extensive old-age pension system, slum clearance , more private housing and expansion of maternal care and childcare. However, continuing sluggish economic growth and declines in mining and heavy industry weakened Baldwin's base of support. His government also saw the General Strike in 1926 and introduced the Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act 1927 to curb
4557-405: The Luftwaffe would have 800 bombers, compared to the RAF's 48. In the debate in the Commons on 12 November 1936, Churchill attacked the government on rearmament as being "decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent. So we go on, preparing more months and years – precious, perhaps vital, to the greatness of Britain – for
4650-487: The Ministry of Defence. Those departments merged in 1964, and the defence functions of the Ministry of Aviation Supply were merged into the Ministry of Defence in 1971. The unification of all defence activities under a single ministry was motivated by a desire to curb interservice rivalries and followed the precedent set by the American National Security Act of 1947 . The Ministers in the Ministry of Defence are as follows, with cabinet ministers in bold: The Chief of
4743-403: The Permanent Secretary. They are joined by the professional heads of the three British armed services ( Royal Navy , British Army and Royal Air Force ) and the Commander of Strategic Command . All personnel sit at OF-9 rank in the NATO rank system . Together the Chiefs of Staff form the Chiefs of Staff Committee with responsibility for providing advice on operational military matters and
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#17327726850764836-417: The RAF must have 3,800 aircraft by April 1937, an extra 1,400 above the existing air programme. It was learnt that Germany was easily able to outbuild that revised programme as well. On 21 May 1935, the Cabinet agreed to expanding the home defence force of the RAF to 1,512 aircraft (840 bombers and 420 fighters). On 22 May 1935 Baldwin confessed in the Commons, "I was wrong in my estimate of the future. There I
4929-401: The allocation of contracts. A government report covered by The Guardian newspaper in 2002 indicated that between 1940 and 1979, the Ministry of Defence "turned large parts of the country into a giant laboratory to conduct a series of secret germ warfare tests on the public" and many of these tests "involved releasing potentially dangerous chemicals and micro-organisms over vast swathes of
5022-451: The armed forces, contingency planning and defence procurement . The expenditure, administration and policy of the MOD are scrutinised by the Defence Select Committee , except for Defence Intelligence which instead falls under the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament . During the 1920s and 1930s, British civil servants and politicians, looking back at the performance of the state during World War I , concluded that there
5115-564: The cellar was encased in steel and concrete and relocated nine feet to the west and nearly 19 feet (5.8 m) deeper in 1949, when construction was resumed at the site after World War II . This was carried out without any significant damage to the structure. The most notable fraud conviction has been that of Gordon Foxley , Director of Ammunition Procurement at the Ministry of Defence from 1981 to 1984. Police claimed he received at least £3.5m in total in corrupt payments, such as substantial bribes from overseas arms contractors aiming to influence
5208-547: The central issue in the election. He said that he would support the League of Nations, modernise Britain's defences and remedy deficiencies, but he also said: "I give you my word that there will be no great armaments". The main issues in the election were housing, unemployment and the special areas of economic depression. The election gave 430 seats to National Government supporters (386 of these Conservative) and 154 seats to Labour. Baldwin's younger son A. Windham Baldwin, writing in 1955, argued that his father, Stanley, had planned
5301-520: The central issue: tariffs. Baldwin remained prime minister until the opening of the new Parliament in January 1924, when his administration was defeated in a vote on its legislative programme set out in the King's Speech . He offered his resignation to George V immediately. Baldwin successfully held on to the party leadership amid some colleagues' calls for his resignation. For the next ten months, an unstable minority Labour government under Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald held office. On 13 March 1924,
5394-476: The coalition, against the wishes of most of the party leadership. As a direct result Bonar Law was forced to search for new ministers for a Cabinet which he would lead, and so promoted Baldwin to the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer . In the November 1922 general election the Conservatives were returned with a majority in their own right. In May 1923 Bonar Law was diagnosed with terminal cancer and retired immediately; he died five months later. With many of
5487-426: The death of his father in 1908. In the 1906 general election he contested Kidderminster but lost amidst the Conservative landslide defeat after the party split on the issue of free trade. In a by-election in 1908 he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Bewdley , in which role he succeeded his father, who had died earlier that year. During the First World War he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to
5580-770: The designation 'British Empire'. In 1930, the first British Empire Games sports competition was held successfully among Empire nations in Hamilton, Ontario , Canada. His government then secured with great difficulty the passage of the landmark Government of India Act 1935 , in the teeth of opposition from Winston Churchill, spokesman for the die-hard imperialists who filled the Conservative ranks. Baldwin did not advocate total disarmament, but believed that, as Lord Grey of Falloden had stated in 1925, "great armaments lead inevitably to war". However, he came to believe that, as he put it on 10 November 1932: "the time has now come to an end when Great Britain can proceed with unilateral disarmament". On 10 November 1932 he said: I think it
5673-410: The earth. This speech was often used against Baldwin as allegedly demonstrating the futility of rearmament or disarmament, depending on the critic. With the second part of the Disarmament Conference starting in January 1933, Baldwin attempted to see through his hope of air disarmament. However, he became alarmed at Britain's lack of defence against air raids and German rearmament, saying it "would be
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#17327726850765766-450: The exchequer. Baldwin created the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies , a volunteer body of those opposed to the strike which was intended to complete essential work. A defining feature of Baldwin's Second term was the 1926 General Strike , Baldwin handled the strike by using powers awarded to him in the Emergency Powers Act 1920 . He deployed the military and volunteers to keep essential services running. The strike ended when it
5859-419: The first step towards the Commonwealth of Nations . As party leader, Baldwin made many striking innovations, such as clever use of radio and film, that made him highly visible to the public and strengthened Conservative appeal. In 1935, Baldwin replaced MacDonald as prime minister and won the 1935 general election with another large majority. During this time, he oversaw the beginning of British rearmament and
5952-428: The form of War Loan stock worth £120,000. Although he entered politics at a relatively late age, his rise to the top leadership was very rapid. In the Treasury he served jointly with Hardman Lever , who had been appointed in 1916, but after 1919 Baldwin carried out the duties largely alone. He was appointed to the Privy Council in the 1920 Birthday Honours . In 1921 he was promoted to the Cabinet as President of
6045-558: The funding. The TA provides a small percentage of the UK's operational troops. Its members train on weekly evenings and monthly weekends, as well as two-week exercises generally annually and occasionally bi-annually for troops doing other courses. The cuts would have meant a significant loss of personnel and would have had adverse effects on recruitment. In 2013, it was found that the Ministry of Defence had overspent on its equipment budget by £6.5bn on orders that could take up to 39 years to fulfil. The Ministry of Defence has been criticised in
6138-413: The increasingly senile MacDonald, until he once again officially became prime minister in 1935. One central and vitally important agreement was the Statute of Westminster 1931 , which conferred full self-government upon the Dominions Canada , South Africa , Australia , the Irish Free State and New Zealand , while preparing the first steps towards the eventual Commonwealth of Nations , and away from
6231-440: The intervention of Arthur Balfour . The King turned to Baldwin to become prime minister. Initially Baldwin was also Chancellor of the Exchequer whilst he sought to recruit the former Liberal Chancellor Reginald McKenna to join the government. When this failed he appointed Neville Chamberlain to that position. The Conservatives now had a clear majority in the House of Commons and could govern for five years before holding
6324-488: The issue of tariffs and lost the Conservatives' parliamentary majority, after which Ramsay MacDonald formed a minority Labour government. After winning the 1924 general election , Baldwin formed his second government, which saw important tenures of office by Austen Chamberlain (Foreign Secretary), Winston Churchill (at the Exchequer) and Neville Chamberlain (Health). The latter two ministers strengthened Conservative appeal by reforms in areas formerly associated with
6417-504: The job of Foreign Secretaries. On 8 March 1934, Baldwin defended the creation of four new squadrons for the Royal Air Force against Labour criticisms, and said of international disarmament: If all our efforts for an agreement fail, and if it is not possible to obtain this equality in such matters as I have indicated, then any Government of this country—a National Government more than any, and this Government—will see to it that in air strength and air power this country shall no longer be in
6510-415: The new Minister of Defence , who had a seat in the Cabinet. The three service ministers – Admiralty, War, Air – remained in direct operational control of their respective services, but ceased to attend Cabinet. From 1946 to 1964, five Departments of State did the work of the modern Ministry of Defence: the Admiralty , the War Office , the Air Ministry , the Ministry of Aviation , and an earlier form of
6603-429: The office of Minister of Defence, to exercise ministerial control over the Chiefs of Staff Committee and to co-ordinate defence matters. The post was held by the Prime Minister of the day until Clement Attlee 's government introduced the Ministry of Defence Act of 1946 . After 1946, the three posts of Secretary of State for War , First Lord of the Admiralty , and Secretary of State for Air were formally subordinated to
6696-436: The party leader Bonar Law . In 1917 he was appointed to the junior ministerial post of Financial Secretary to the Treasury , where he sought to encourage voluntary donations by the rich to repay the United Kingdom's war debt, writing letters to The Times under the pseudonym 'FST', many of which were published. He relinquished to the Treasury one fifth of his own fortune (its total estimated at own account as £580,000) held in
6789-412: The party's senior leading figures standing aloof and outside of the government, there were only two candidates to succeed him: Lord Curzon , the foreign secretary , and Baldwin. The choice formally fell to King George V acting on the advice of senior ministers and officials. It is not entirely clear what factors proved most crucial, but some Conservative politicians felt that Curzon was unsuitable for
6882-459: The past for poor management and financial control. Specific examples of overspending include: In May 2024, the ministry's payroll system was reportedly targeted multiple times in a cyberattack in which personnel and their bank details were compromised. While initial reports attributed the cyberattack to China , the Minister of Defence Grant Shapps said it would take some time to conclude who
6975-475: The population without the public being told." The Ministry of Defence claims that these trials were to simulate germ warfare and that the tests were harmless. However, families who have been in the area of many of the tests are experiencing children with birth defects and physical and mental handicaps and many are asking for a public inquiry. The report estimated these tests affected millions of people, including during one period between 1961 and 1968 where "more than
7068-481: The powers of trade unions. Baldwin narrowly lost the 1929 general election and his continued leadership of the party was subject to extensive criticism by press barons Lord Rothermere and Lord Beaverbrook . In 1931, with the onset of the Great Depression , Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald formed a National Government , most of whose ministers were Conservatives, which won an enormous majority at
7161-615: The preparation and conduct of military operations. The current Chiefs of Staff are as follows. The Chief of Defence Staff is supported by several Deputy Chiefs of the Defence Staff and senior officers at OF-8 rank. Additionally, there are a number of Assistant Chiefs of Defence Staff , including the Defence Services Secretary in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom , who
7254-576: The results from these trials "will save lives, should the country or our forces face an attack by chemical and biological weapons." In February 2019, former soldier Inoke Momonakaya won £458,000 payout after a legal battle for the racial harassment and bullying he received while serving in the army. In August 2019, A Commons Defence Select Committee report revealed that several female and BAME military staff have raised concerns regarding discrimination, bullying and harassment. In September 2019, two former British army soldiers Nkululeko Zulu and Hani Gue won
7347-410: The role of prime minister because he was a member of the House of Lords . Curzon was strong and experienced in international affairs, but his lack of experience in domestic affairs, his personal character quirks and his huge inherited wealth and many directorships at a time when the Conservative Party was seeking to shed its patrician image were all deemed impediments. Much weight at the time was given to
7440-451: The setting up of a Central Electricity Board , a state monopoly half-financed by the Government and half by local undertakings. Baldwin accepted Weir's recommendations and they became law by the end of 1926. The Board was a success. By 1939 electrical output was up fourfold and generating costs had fallen. Consumers of electricity rose from three-quarters of a million in 1920 to nine million in 1938, with annual growth of 700,000 to 800,000
7533-417: The supply chain role of SMEs. The Ministry of Defence is one of the United Kingdom's largest landowners, owning 227,300 hectares of land and foreshore (either freehold or leasehold) at April 2014, which was valued at "about £20 billion". The MOD also has "rights of access" to a further 222,000 hectares. In total, this is about 1.8% of the UK land mass. The total annual cost to support the defence estate
7626-550: The time located in Slough , Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire ), followed by Harrow School . He later wrote that " all the king's horses and all the king's men would have failed to have drawn me into the company of school masters, and in relation to them I once had every qualification as a passive resister." Baldwin then went on to the University of Cambridge , where he studied history at Trinity College . His time at university
7719-519: The tri-service Service Prosecuting Authority. On 1 January 2009, the individual authorities were placed under the leadership of one Director as the newly combined authority took effect. In 2010 the authority moved from Hillingdon House in RAF Uxbridge to a newly built headquarters in RAF Northolt . Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) The Ministry of Defence ( MOD or MoD )
7812-455: Was a first cousin of, and had a lifelong friendship with, the writer and poet Rudyard Kipling . A summer spent with Kipling and his sister with the freedom of farm and forest at Loughton , Essex, in 1877 was seminal to the development of both boys. The family was prosperous, and owned the eponymous iron- and steel-making business that in later years became part of Richard Thomas and Baldwins . Baldwin's schools were St Michael's School , at
7905-542: Was a need for greater co-ordination between the three services that made up the armed forces of the United Kingdom: the Royal Navy , the British Army and the Royal Air Force . The formation of a united ministry of defence was rejected by the coalition government of David Lloyd George in 1921, but the Chiefs of Staff Committee was formed in 1923, for the purposes of inter-service co-ordination. As rearmament became
7998-512: Was an innovative user of the new mass media of radio and film. By 1931, as the economy headed towards crisis, both in Britain and around the world, with the onset of the Great Depression , Baldwin and the Conservatives entered into a coalition with Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. This decision led to MacDonald's expulsion from his own party, and Baldwin, as Lord President of the Council , became de facto prime minister, deputising for
8091-625: Was blighted by the presence, as Master of Trinity , of Henry Montagu Butler , his former headmaster who had punished him at Harrow for writing a piece of schoolboy smut. He was asked to resign from the Magpie & Stump (the Trinity College debating society) for never speaking, and, after receiving a third-class degree in history, he went into the family business of iron manufacturing. His father sent him to Mason College for one session of technical training in metallurgy as preparation. As
8184-455: Was completely wrong." On 25 February 1936, the Cabinet approved a report calling for expansion of the Royal Navy and the re-equipment of the British Army (though not its expansion), along with the creation of "shadow factories" built by public money and managed by industrial companies. The factories came into operation in 1937. In February 1937, the Chiefs of Staff reported that by May 1937,
8277-470: Was found to not be protected by the Trade Disputes Act 1906 , leading to the strike being called off on 12 May lasting just 9 days. Baldwin's government was widely credited for such an effective response to the strike. At Baldwin's instigation Lord Weir headed a committee to "review the national problem of electrical energy". It published its report on 14 May 1925 and in it Weir recommended
8370-423: Was now prime minister, MacDonald Lord President of the council. In October that year, Baldwin called a general election . Neville Chamberlain advised Baldwin to make rearmament the leading issue in the election campaign against Labour and said that if a rearmament programme was not announced until after the election, his government would be seen as having deceived the people. However, Baldwin did not make rearmament
8463-540: Was profoundly pacifist. Baldwin also rejected the "belligerent" views of those like Churchill and Robert Vansittart because he believed that the Nazis were rational men who would appreciate the logic of mutual and equal deterrence. He also believed war to be "the most fearful terror and prostitution of man's knowledge that ever was known". With MacDonald's health in decline, he and Baldwin changed places in June 1935: Baldwin
8556-465: Was regarded as a popular and successful prime minister, but for the final decade of his life and for many years afterwards he was vilified for having presided over high unemployment and a struggling economy in the 1930s. Baldwin has been criticized both contemporaneously and more recently as he was among several high-profile British public figures who instituted the policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler and failed to rearm sufficiently to prepare for
8649-484: Was to blame. Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley , (3 August 1867 – 14 December 1947) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars . He was prime minister on three occasions, from May 1923 to January 1924, from November 1924 to June 1929, and from June 1935 to May 1937. Born to
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