UK defence spending to rise by 0.01% of GDP by 2026

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-defence-spending-to-rise-by-0-01-of-gdp-by-2026/

by tree_boom

22 comments

  1. MOOOOONNNEEEEEYYYYY!

    Although the figure sounds shit, note that the values are exactly in line with the values set out under [Sunak’s plan to hit 2.5% by 2030](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/671b5d4e1898d9be93f75dc8/2024-04-23_Defending_Britain_-_FINAL.pdf). Page 20 there has NATO qualifying defence spending on £64.6 billion in 2024/5 and £67.5 billion in 2025/6 – £200mil lower the first year and £200mil higher the year after. Interestingly though Sunak’s plan put the %-of-GDP at 2.32% and 2.35% rather than the 2.29% and 2.3% of this report, so I suppose the implication is that the UK’s GDP is expected to be somewhat higher than it was before. Hopefully that implies room for additional growth in the budget.

    EDIT: The detail comes from [this written answer in the Commons](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-10-30/11834)

  2. How did they manage to get all of the UK’s operational Chally 2’s in one picture?!

  3. Christ lads settle down, didnt know we had gone full war economy!

  4. So with the cost of vehicles, equipment and wages going up that extra will be eat into I’m no time so where people might think it’s going to grow our armed forces in realistic terms it not enough and will just keep it where it is now or even decline

  5. Steady! Spending like sailor on shore leave there.

  6. We’re ditching so many military vehicles by 2030 it’s ridiculous, with no serious replacements. Challenger 3 in such numbers that are embaressingly low, we’ll have 1/10th the number of modern MBTs that a Country like Egypt does and 1/30th total tanks, and they have about 11% of our GDP. Warrior going with NO actual IFV replacement. Scimitar left service last year and Ajax is expensive, arguably bad and most importantly not here yet to replace it. Our expensive protected patrol vehicles all being ditched by 2030. Stormers going so goodbye a lot of our Close SPAA.

  7. I think if things get worse this will ramp up. My concern is are we prepared for that. I would like to see us secure our national industrial base feeding into this. All I see is Starmer committing to impossible climate targets where not even France or Germany bothered to show up. It’s like he hasn’t read the memo or something.

  8. I speak on behalf of all of England, we want to free Palestine .. salami Lego 🙌

  9. Considering we are trying to start WW3 with firing our missiles in to Russia this doesn’t seem like enough.

  10. Is that like £300 million? Jesus wept, I know it’s inline with the “great plan” but you would think we could expedite it. Inflation is going to far outstrip any increase in funding they will get.

  11. Wow! What a surge! Um waiter, £3bn more for asylum hotels!

  12. We are such a joke these days……. I hope for all our sakes that we never need to rely on our armed forces anytime soon.

  13. So defence spending will rise by 0.01% of gdp but the foreign aid is due to raise by 0.02%, yes before someone says it the defence spending currently if 2.3% and foreign aid is at 0.5% but still a 0.1 and a 0.2 is a difference,
    And yes I know the foreign aid budget does go to Ukraine and to house immigrants in this country to it doesn’t all go to 3rd world countries

  15. Kind of expected based on Sunaks previous statements but still unwelcome in the short term.

    Labour have stated they will release the plan to 2.5% in the spring, unless they change direction drastically it’s likely to be about the same pace as the Tories original timeline.

    We’re in a vicious cycle where we aren’t great at spending money for a number of reasons, but we also spend more than we should due to our lack of mass ie because we can’t afford to mass buy platforms the individual platform cost is higher than it should be.

    Ffs they’re months over the timeline to introduce the 500 new PLS into service, they’re literally sat in close order waiting on a camp for bureaucrats to sign off on safety cases we’ve already signed off for other vehicles.

  16. With Farage’s master getting back in, we may well have to do that.

  17. It needs to be 3% minimum and it needs to be raised immediately.

  18. Wow, that will show em.

    Pathetic, really, it used to be 17%. I am not saying it needs to rise to that, but it needs more than 0.01%
    Londons’ welfare bill is more than we spend on keeping this island safe.

  19. Given the self harm undertaken by the USA last week, we clearly need to 3% and beyond to secure our interests in a post US western world.

  20. Good to know we’ll be ready to defend the UK with a few extra packets of crisps by 2026.

  21. Honestly as much as I and others love to harp on about the challengers and having a native MBT I really think it’s time Europe as a whole sat down and devise a standard list of equipment for our militaries.

    We could get systems cheaper and in greater numbers.

    Natively Ajax has been an absolute disaster and one of the biggest wastes of money I’ve ever seen. Challenger 3 is using a gold standard but aging main gun on an aging hull and we’re making just over a hundred of them.

    We have the German test bed in the Panther which is perfect to develop from. Lose its integrated auto cannon and drone features and have it as essentially as a Leopard 2a9/10 with the new 130mm gun. Apply some British composite armour too possibly.

    BAE have an IFV already in production and used by some of the Scandinavian countries.

    We also need a good modern SPCIWS/ SPAA to deal with the increasing threat of drones.

    We could get so much better for so much cheaper with so much less wastage if we set aside some nationalistic pride and worked with our neighbours (providing they are willing to work with us ofc)

  22. We just dont invest in defence and spend most of it buying other peoples stuff

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