Starmer chooses RAF chief Sir Richard Knighton to lead armed forces

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton has been chosen to be the next head of all three armed forces, The Independent understands.

Sir Keir Starmer is understood to have picked the head of the RAF to lead the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as chief of the defence staff from this autumn.

The appointment has not yet been officially announced, although it is expected to be confirmed soon, amid what has been billed as the most transformative period for the MoD in decades.

It comes a day after the prime minister vowed to make Britain "a battle-ready, armour-clad nation” as he unveiled his strategic defence review (SDR), which included an army boosted to 100,000 personnel, 12 new submarines, drones and a rollout of Artificial Intelligence.

Sir Richard, 56, is a career engineer who has been described as a “defence bureaucrat” as well as the “money guy” due to his ability to handle finances, with previous experience controlling the RAF’s budget. He is known as a safe pair of hands and has also rolled out personnel reform in the service.

The 56-year-old is understood to be taking command of all the services, unlike those previously in the post.

He will take over from Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. The ex-first sea lord has been in the role since November 2021, having spearheaded Britain mission to support of Ukraine, and pushed the Aukus submarine programme through government

Sir Richard, a married father-of-two, was chosen over Army Chief General Sir Roly Walker, according to reports. The former SAS commander has been described as the “ideas man” as well as having extensive operational experience, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sir Richard became the first non-pilot to lead the RAF and his official biography reportedly states that his only combat tour was “a short stint as senior engineer officer in Italy during the Kosovo campaign”.

However, a friend told The Times he is “the right choice”, adding: “He is super smart, he is popular, he is very calm and strategic, and you don’t get any of the wild strings of rhetoric and emotion.” They also described him as having “his feet firmly on the ground”, with an understanding of “how to get things done in defence better than anyone”.

An MoD spokesperson told The Independent: “This is speculation. The appointment process is ongoing and any announcement will be made in the usual way.”