Britain’s armed forces are teetering on the “brink of disaster” owing to chronic underinvestment, the former head of the Royal Navy has warned. Lord West of Spithead, who commanded the force for four years in the early 2000s, called on the Government to set out precisely how it intends to raise the funds for the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan. He was amongst a number of peers who rounded on the current state of the armed forces, as their former chief, Lord Stirrup, cautioned that an inadequate funding announcement would perpetuate decades of “hollowing out” of the services. Meanwhile, Lib Dem peer Lord Lee of Trafford, a former defence minister, declared that the condition of the Royal Navy is a “national embarrassment”. The Government has confirmed that the Defence Investment Plan (Dip), which will outline long-term funding and strategy for the armed forces, will be published ahead of the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, next month. Defence minister Lord Coaker acknowledged the shortcomings, conceding that the Government ought to have done more to convince the public …