Two former defense ministers have warned that the UK is failing to prepare for war and is lagging behind its allies in preparedness.

Former Armed Forces Minister James Heappey has revealed that only Ministry of Defense (MoD) officials took part in wartime exercises prepared for the whole of government.

Former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace agreed, saying too many people in the government “just wish it would all go away.”

write on daily telegraphShippy said the UK supported measures taken by its allies to strengthen citizens’ preparedness for war.

He gave the example of Sweden, where the government distributed a pamphlet explaining what to do in times of war, including what emergency foods to stockpile.

Mr Shippy wrote: “This is a stark reminder that the war is a national endeavour, and frankly in Britain we are far behind.”

The former soldier, who resigned as minister at the end of March, said government ministers needed to explain how Britain fed itself during the war and how public services worked.

The Conservative MP said not enough people within the government were considering the preparations.

He pointed to the “whole-of-government exercises” that Wallace “pushed hard” when he was defense secretary to get ministers and officials into field bunkers to see what their working environment was like.

“In the end, and frustratingly, only the Secretary of Defense, senior military officers and Defense Department officials attended,” Shippy wrote.

mr wallace told daily telegraph: “Growing instability and insecurity against the UK and its allies means a step change is needed across society to recognize that our core responsibilities are to think about our defense and our resilience.

“That’s the way we thought during the Cold War, and everyone from local government to the Department of Defense played their part.”

While Mr Wallace claimed the Ministry of Defense had made such changes, he added that “too many people in government and society just wish it would all go away”.

The intervention by the two long-serving defense ministers comes as Rishi Sunak faces pressure to increase defense spending.

A government spokesman said an additional £24 billion would be invested in the armed forces between 2020 and 2025, which he described as the largest sustained investment since the Cold War.

It added: “The UK has robust planning for a range of potential emergencies and situations, with plans and support arrangements developed, refined and tested over many years.”