Prime Minister Starmer's new Defence Investment Plan (DIP) allocates an additional £15 billion for defense, bringing the total settlement to this amount. This figure is an increase from the £13.5 billion initially offered but significantly less than the £28 billion defense officials previously stated was needed. The plan, announced ahead of a speech by Starmer, aims to ramp up the UK's use of drones and autonomous weapons, with £5 billion specifically designated for this. However, the plan faces strong criticism for being insufficient to adequately prepare the UK for potential conflicts.
General Sir Richard Barrons, co-author of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, stated the £15 billion plan "is not going to crack the issue" of properly funding the nation's armed forces. He emphasized that more money is needed sooner to defend the UK effectively, even if it means sacrificing other areas of government spending. Former Defence Secretary John Healey resigned in protest over the DIP, warning it would likely fall short of Britain’s commitments to the NATO alliance, which targets core defense spending at 3.5% of national economic output by 2035. Currently, the UK is projected to spend 2.6% of GDP on defense, increasing to 2.7% under the new plan, well short of the NATO goal.
The delayed publication of the DIP, due to internal Whitehall disputes over funding, highlighted the disagreements. Despite the criticisms, Starmer hailed the investment as "game-changing" and claimed it would make the army "10 times more lethal" by focusing on AI systems for uncrewed ships and intelligence-gathering drones. The plan also includes £8 billion for the Global Combat Air Programme with Japan and Italy, £63 billion for nuclear deterrence, and £5 billion for the army. However, military officials will also need to find approximately £10.7 billion in savings over the next three years, and the upcoming Budget will require £4.7 billion in additional tax rises or spending cuts to meet defense commitments. Critics, including Lord George Robertson, former NATO chief, and Fiona Hill, a former US adviser, have expressed concern about the Treasury's slow pace in providing adequate funding.
Some unnamed defense sources dismissed the £5 billion drone spend as insufficient and criticized the plan as "utter f****** waffle," suggesting it fails to learn lessons from the conflict in Ukraine. Starmer himself acknowledged that other areas of government spending, such as road and energy projects, would be cut to fund the defense plan. While Starmer insisted the UK would be ready to fight Russia by 2030, the overwhelming sentiment from experts and former officials is that the current £15 billion investment, while a step forward, leaves significant short-term capability gaps and falls short of the necessary funding to address the nation's defense needs against a worsening global threat landscape.
