The prime minister has told the House of Commons that defence spending will rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027. The UK already spends 2.3 per cent, so this works out as an increase of £13.4 billion a year. It will largely be funded by substantial cuts to the international aid budget.
It is good that Sir Keir Starmer has got the memo on the desperate need to increase the defence budget. But the memo is dated ‘early 2024’: it was last April, after all, that Rishi Sunak pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent.
The UK’s current spending is not just inadequate to meet the increasing security threats and technological demands of the future, especially as the United States reduces its commitment to Europe and focuses on the Indo-Pacific region; it is inadequate to sustain the armed forces now.
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