Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a Defence Investment Plan on Tuesday that adds £15 billion to the UK’s military budget over four years, bringing total planned spending to almost £300 billion. The blueprint, presented at a defence company in southern England, allocates £5 billion to drones and autonomous systems, funds six new “common combat vessels” to create a hybrid Royal Navy, and reinforces the nuclear deterrent and the next-generation Tempest fighter programme with Japan and Italy. Starmer, who is expected to leave office by late July, described the package as a platform his successor could build upon.

According to the prime minister, the additional funding will be drawn from cancelling or deferring certain road and energy infrastructure projects, rather than through new borrowing. Chancellor Rachel Reeves framed the approach as part of a “securinomics” doctrine linking national security to economic stability. The government stated that the plan puts the UK on a trajectory to spend 2.7 percent of GDP on defence by 2029, with a commitment to reach 3.5 percent by 2035 under NATO’s military spending metric, and 4.2 percent when wider security-related expenditure is included.

The announcement follows the resignation of former defence secretary John Healey, who accused the Treasury of failing to provide the resources needed to keep the country safe. Military officials, including former Joint Forces Command chief General Richard Barrons, have pointed to a £28 billion funding shortfall over the same period, warning that the uplift leaves the UK exposed and will force delays in equipment purchases, training and logistics. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch called the plan insufficient, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey described it as late and underfunded. Trade union GMB welcomed the stability it offered the defence sector, but stressed that delivery would be judged on real jobs and investment.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed the plan as an important step toward the alliance’s spending goals, ahead of a summit in Ankara on 7–8 July where Starmer intends to present the document. Viewed from European capitals, the UK’s move mirrors a broader rearmament trend driven by Russia’s war in Ukraine and pressure from Washington for European allies to assume a greater share of the collective defence burden. With Starmer’s likely successor, Andy Burnham, expected to take office shortly after the NATO meeting, the plan’s long-term implementation remains contingent on the next government’s fiscal choices and strategic priorities.