PM announces £15bn defence investment plan but says some road and energy projects will be scrapped
The plan lifts annual defence spending to £80 billion by 2029 and shifts funding from roads and energy projects, officials said.
- Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a £15 billion defence investment plan on Tuesday, scrapping road and energy projects to fund military upgrades.
- Following weeks of Whitehall wrangling, Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis secured the necessary funding after former defence secretary John Healey resigned earlier this month, claiming he was offered only £13.5 billion.
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves stated the funding comes from "reprioritising spending" across Government by reallocating capital budgets by one penny in every pound, protecting frontline health and education services.
- Annual defence spending will increase from £54 billion to £80 billion by 2029 as Sir Keir aims to reverse the "corrosive hollowing out" of the military, acknowledging there were "no easy answers."
- This announcement may represent one of Sir Keir's final acts as Prime Minister before handing over power to Andy Burnham, though he stated he is "absolutely certain" his successor will continue the investments.
131 Articles
131 Articles
PMQs Kemi Badenoch criticises the Prime Minister's Defence Investment plan as 'too weak, too short, and too late'
The Prime Minister tried to defend his record on defence and criticised the last Conservative Government, but Badenoch pointed out the threat level has increased in the two years Starmer had been in office.
UK’s Starmer unveils $20 billion defense boost in long-delayed investment plan
LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged on Tuesday to spend an extra £15 billion ($20 billion) to modernize Britain’s depleted armed forces in a long-delayed investment plan that is designed to prepare for the wars of the future and mark his legacy.In what is most likely his last major policy announcement, Starmer said the increased spending over the next four years went further than a previous draft that prompted his ally, John Healey, to …
Sydney Morning Herald
Starmer’s parting gift lays a trap for Burnham and sets up a showdown with Trump
On his way out the door, the British prime minister unveiled the UK’s long-awaited defence spending plan, but the grand vision falls short of the US president’s demands on NATO allies.
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