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Hello, I'm Sean Curran, and this is yesterday in Parliament from BBC Radio 4.

The UK isn't ready for a full-scale conflict. That warning was delivered on Monday the 12th of

January by the Chief of the Defence Staff,

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton.

He told MPs that in spite of an increase in defence spending,

the armed forces couldn't do everything as quickly as they would like.

It was a headline designed to make retired generals drop their breakfast marmalade.

Last week, the Times reported that the head of the armed forces had warned the Prime Minister

about a 28 billion pound black hole in the defence budget.

The Labour Chair of the Defence Committee, Tandesi, wanted the Chief of the Defence Staff

to spill the beans.

And apparently the Prime Minister was livid since he felt that

the Strategic Defence Review was fully costed, fully funded.

You know, what's going on there?

Sir Richard Knighton's answer was as formal as his uniform

with its metal ribbons and gold aigolet.

I thought you might ask me about the speculation in the media,

about the cost of a programme and speculation over particular numbers.

And that's exactly what it is.

It is speculation.

But what I'm not going to talk about...

...