UK announces £75B defense boost, challenges Europe to follow suit

11 comments

1. The U.K. promised to pump an extra £75 billion into its defense budget over the next six years in a move that will take its spending well above a crucial NATO target and pile pressure on European allies to follow suit.

   Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said during a trip to Poland Tuesday that the new package is the “biggest strengthening of our national defense for a generation,” while his office argued it “sets a new standard for other major European NATO economies to follow.”

   The move will see the U.K. spend the equivalent of 2.5 percent of GDP per year on defense by the end of the decade — something which had previously been only a vague ambition for the country when resources allow.

   Speaking at a press conference alongside NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg Tuesday afternoon, Sunak said now was not “the moment for complacency.”
   “We can’t keep thinking America will pay any price or bear any burden if we are unwilling to make sacrifices for our own security,” he said.

   The commitment, which Sunak insisted would not require spending cuts or tax rises, would bring the U.K.’s annual defense spending to £87 billion in 2030-31.

   It comes amid fierce transatlantic debate about defense spend in Europe. NATO countries are expected to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense, with 18 members currently on track to do so. Germany hit that target for the first time this year.

2. It’s a boost and makes us by far the largest in Europe, but to be honest I was expecting something like 5% of GDP, which would be £155 billion a year. Towards the end of the Cold War it was around 5%.

3. We can thank Brexit for this. If there was no Brexit, it would be £750B. UK is getting poorer each day…

4. Great. Democratic nations should arm up against Kremlin and the CCP.

5. is this to be spent in actual defense or contracts for friends like the billions spent in the failed track and trace? or the shipping company without ships? or the lingerie company providing flawed ppe?

   the tories have a record of using crisis to fill the pockets of the donors and getting nothing useful out of it

   edit: people downvoting are not really concerned about security, are they? russian bootlickers if you ask me. who put a son of an ex-kgb in the lords? eh? eh?

6. The greatest inheritance Americans ever received from Britain was the British inability to back down from a challenge or ever think of themselves as anything less than a people worthy of leadership. As displayed by their insistence on trying to lead as many charges as they can manage in this crisis.

   I think that’s why we butt heads so often about the dumbest shit. Both are far too prideful to ever admit coming in second at anything.

   For real tho, between this and announcement la in Europe and now the US for further efforts against Russia it makes me hopeful than the trains got some coal back in its engine and we’re going in the right direction as a unified front.

7. Well done UK

8. With what money?

9. Given how much Riski Sunak has told us there’s no money, there must be an election coming up with promises like this…

10. It’s a start.

    Not really a beacon of inspiration to go to barely above the NATO goal of 2% to an underwhelming 2,5% towards 2030…

11. More politico garbage. Let’s pretend that GB is somehow comparable to EU, ten times its size.