Repairing defence procurement before expanding the budget

What would a newly elected 'boring but competent' government change first?

Diagnose the systems, stabilize multi-year funding, build contingency stocks, and expand the industrial capacity needed to deliver ships rather than promising instant fleet growth.

The first step is to map which government systems work, which fail, and which produce results for reasons that officials do not understand. For defence, the immediate priorities would be infrastructure, spare parts, munitions stocks, and a reserve for operations that exceed the assumptions behind an annual budget. Departments would carry underspends forward across a four- or five-year settlement instead of rushing to spend money before Treasury clawback. The government would preserve Type 26 building slots, invest in yard capacity, and try to accelerate Type 31 production. An 18-month administration can start these changes, though shipbuilding results arrive over four, five, or even ten years.