Starmer finds an extra £1bn for defence as spending plan finally revealed
Sir Keir Starmer has found an extra £1bn to fund Britain’s defense following John Healey’s resignation over the issue and vowed that the long-delayed plan to future-proof the armed forces will keep the UK “safe and secure for the long future”.
The defense investment plan (DIP), originally planned for last year, was postponed due to fierce wrangling within the government over the amount of money needed to fund the military.
The DIP is due to be published on Tuesday, just weeks before Andy Burnham was widely expected to tear up the plan and try to find more money for defence, when he is expected to take over as prime minister, amid concerns that even the increased package does not go far enough.
Mr Burnham has previously said he would increase the country’s defense budget by cutting welfare spending.
Earlier this month, former defense secretary John Healey resigned in protest over Dip; He argued that this did not provide sufficient funds for the UK to transform its armed forces and meet future threats, and plunged Sir Keir’s government into further disarray.
He also warned that the plan would likely fail to meet Britain’s commitments to the NATO alliance, which tasks all member states with increasing core defense spending to 3.5 per cent of national economic output by 2035.
Mr Healey was replaced by Dan Jarvis, who is thought to have made better progress in funding negotiations with the Treasury, increasing the full payment to £14.5bn from the £13.5bn offered to Mr Healey. But the final package falls well short of the £28 billion defense officials had previously said was needed.
In a speech expected to be one of his last in office at a defense firm on Tuesday, Sir Keir will explain how the DIP will step up Britain’s drone capabilities at a time when combat robots are widely used in wars in both Ukraine and Iran.
Speaking ahead of the launch, the prime minister said: “This game-changing investment will strengthen our armed forces on land, at sea and in the air, ensuring our servicemen and women have the cutting-edge capabilities they need to deter evolving threats and keep the British people safe.
“We also support British innovation, British industry and British jobs, and deliver opportunities to every corner of the country.
“Today’s defense investment plan will help drive growth across the UK and provide our industrial base with the confidence, certainty and support it needs to develop and scale the technologies that will keep our country safe into the future.”
Downing Street said the new defense secretary, Mr Jarvis, had spent a fortnight “refocusing” on Dip, ensuring “the latest equipment” was in the hands of the armed forces.
The defense minister said: “Our armed forces are serving in increasingly dangerous and unpredictable times. We are determined to give them what they need as they serve with courage and extraordinary skill to keep us safe.”
“The nature of warfare is changing rapidly. In Ukraine and the Middle East, crewless systems are defining conflicts.”
“The UK’s biggest ever investment in these emerging technologies will help our armed forces, backed by the best of our defense industry, stay ahead of our enemies. We’re giving our extraordinary people the equipment they need to fight and win.”
Britain is closely monitoring the use of drones on the battlefield in Ukraine, where around 200,000 drones are used to defend against Russian forces every month, and in Iran, where around 700 drones were launched every day at the height of the war with the US and Israel.
As a signal of the shift towards drone warfare, the Ministry of Defense has already announced that a fleet of new destroyer warships will no longer appear in the Bottom and will be replaced by “hybrid” ships that will serve as command centers for drones.
The Dip has become widely accepted as a legacy issue that Sir Keir can achieve before stepping down as prime minister to be replaced by his likely successor, Andy Burnham.
But Mr Burnham’s wing has left open the possibility of revisiting the Dip if he either wins a contest or is appointed Labor leader and the next prime minister.
On Monday, in a speech laying out his economic plan for governing the country, the challenger suggested he wanted British-based defense companies to be preferred in future military contracts.
Speaking in Manchester, he said: “From now on, every pound raised from taxpayers will work harder for them and this approach will be fully implemented into the defense investment plan.
“We will ensure that all eligible public contracts are subject to appropriate social value weighting, and we will do this to ensure that UK-based companies are in a better position to win these contracts.”
