Keir Starmer warned British troops in danger with ‘unsustainable’ Ukraine plan - ‘Very nervous’

“It was really interesting that a lot of people who previously had supported the idea of national service, suddenly with a live conflict in the European theatre, decided they didn't want their boys and girls going to war” the former minister said.

Talking about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Jayawardena said: “It's entirely unsurprising to hear people saying that we don't want troops committed because we are so depleted as a military.

“Ever since John Major made cuts, they've been continued under every administration of every colour to our defence spending.

“We've got to really look very carefully at the resources that we have.

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“I’m very nervous about sending troops because I don't think that we have the ability right now to sustain that for the long run, which is what's crucial here’” he said.

Sir Ranil’s comments on GB News are reinforced by those made by Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army.

“Frankly, we haven't got the numbers and we haven't got the equipment to put a large force onto the ground for an extended period of time at the present moment”, Lord Dannatt told BBC Breakfast.

The former head of the Army said the UK military was in no state to lead a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, and sending troops to the region would come at a significant cost.

Jayawardena expressed disillusionment with Sir Keir Starmer’s recently announced plans to boost defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national income by 2027.

The prime minister said he would cut the foreign aid budget to fund boosting military spending by £13.4 billion every year from 2027.

Last year, the UK spent £53.9 billion on defence.

Under this plan, the aid budget would be reduced from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent by 2027, while defence spending would rise from 2.3 per cent to 2.6 per cent during the same period.

Jayawardena voiced his uncertainty on GB News, saying: “Right now, I’m not sure how it can be done. Starmer is promising this increased spend from aid, but a lot of that's going to go on Chagos anyway. So it's not really spending to grow our military capability.”

Jayawardena’s comments come as Starmer has said he is “ready and willing” to send UK troops to Ukraine to help guarantee its safety, as part of a peace deal.