Britain needs to go faster' on defence spending, Starmer says

"He then emphasised that means, on defence spending, we need to go faster, which was initially interpreted as a clear indication he sympathised with the 3% spending proposal, though the figure did not appear to have been signed off by the Treasury. Downing Street sources subsequently clarified that did not mean it was likely that defence spending would be raised to the 3% figure before the next election. It would be possible to go faster using alternative methods, they added."

"A row has been going on for several weeks between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over the financing of the Defence Investment Plan, which was originally scheduled to be agreed last year but for which no publication date has been fixed. Defence spending is forecast to have amounted to 2.4% of GDP in 2025 and is scheduled to rise to 3.5% by 2035 in line with Nato targets."

The prime minister urged faster increases in defence spending and warned that the threat from Russia is obvious and likely to endure even if fighting in Ukraine ends. A reported plan to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2029 would require lifting the budget by about £15bn in real terms several years earlier than planned. Downing Street clarified that a 3% target is unlikely before the next election and that alternative methods could accelerate increases. A financing dispute continues between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over the Defence Investment Plan. Most pledged increases are scheduled for the next parliament, with defence spending forecast at 2.4% of GDP in 2025 and set to reach 3.5% by 2035 to meet Nato targets.

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