Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasizes the need for Britain to accelerate defence spending in response to escalating security challenges. He pledged last year to raise the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP next year and 3% following the next election, but recent statements suggest an even quicker timeline.
Starmer’s Call at Munich Security Conference
Speaking to world leaders at the Munich Security Conference, Starmer stated: “To meet the wider threat, it’s clear that we are going to have to spend more, faster.”
When questioned about advancing the 3% target to 2029, he avoided denial and urged Europe to enhance its defence efforts. “We have a threat of Russian aggression,” Starmer said. “In a few days’ time it’s the four-year anniversary of the start of the conflict in Ukraine. We want a just and lasting peace, but that will not extinguish the Russian threat, and we need to be alert to that, because that’s going to affect every single person in this room, every single person in this country, so we need to step up. That means on defence spending, we need to go faster.”
Military Chiefs Issue Joint Warning
Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, alongside his German counterpart, demands a “step change” in European defence and security. They highlight Russia’s decisive westward shift and urge confronting harsh security realities.
In a joint article, they assert: “There is a moral dimension to this endeavour. Rearmament is not warmongering; it is the responsible action of nations determined to protect their people and preserve peace. Strength deters aggression. Weakness invites it.”
Government Plans and Union Response
The government anticipates releasing its delayed defence investment plan soon, detailing strategies to fulfill budget commitments. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham presses Chancellor Rachel Reeves to abandon rigid fiscal rules blocking borrowing for daily operations.
“The delays on the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) have already put thousands of UK defence jobs in jeopardy,” Graham stated. “Our workers have the skills and experience to deliver for the British economy. Treasury ‘bean counting’, which is blocking action, must be ditched now. It’s time for decisive action to back Britain’s defence workers. Further delay will prove disastrous.”
Officials confirm the Chancellor intends to maintain her fiscal rules unchanged.
