Sir Keir Starmer has published the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan, adding £15bn to the military budget and declaring it “a huge historic shift for our nation” – but the blueprint immediately drew fire from his own former defence secretary, who said it left Britain dangerously exposed.
The Prime Minister, just weeks from leaving office, launched the plan on Tuesday after months of delays that saw John Healey resign on 11 June. The former defence secretary said the original version he was presented with only committed to 2.68% of GDP by 2030 – insufficient, in his view, “to defend the country at this time of rising threats”. The final document goes slightly higher, pledging spending of 2.7% of GDP by 2027-28, with no year-by-year estimates beyond that. “Britain will still be spending just 2.7% of GDP in 2030, the date when Nato has warned we could face a Russian attack,” Healey told parliament.
“Starmer's defence plan adds £15bn but reaches only 2.7% GDP by 2030, prompting criticism from former defence secretary Healey.”
Under the plan, the UK will spend £297.7bn on defence over the next four years – £62.6bn more than under earlier projections. The Ministry of Defence’s overall budget for 2026-27 is set at £68.3bn. To fund the increase, the government will tighten non-military spending, sell assets and cut international aid. “Some capital projects on roads and energy, which are important but not immediately vital, will no longer go ahead as planned,” Starmer said. Among the hardware casualties are Storm Shadow cruise missiles and a range of military helicopters, which will be phased out.
The plan puts the UK on course for 2.7% of GDP spending, but that lags behind the 3.5% core defence target that Nato allies agreed last year under pressure from US President Donald Trump. The government notes that funding to reach 3% will be set out in next year’s spending review, where defence will be “the No. 1 priority”. Starmer also stated a “clear ambition” to hit 3% in the next parliament. Germany is already aiming for 3.7% of GDP by 2030, overtaking Britain as Europe’s leading military spender.
Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed the plan, calling it “a good step towards reaching the 3.5% of GDP on defence agreed in The Hague last year”. Meanwhile, HMNB Clyde at Faslane is set to receive a multi-billion-pound upgrade, with infrastructure to be “transformed” over multiple decades as part of the investment.
Starmer, who made the announcement in one of his final acts as prime minister, said: “By any measure, this is a huge historic shift for our nation and a legacy in which I take pride.” But critics, including Healey, argue the numbers still fall short of what the country needs at a time of rising threats – and that the gap between ambition and reality may be the next prime minister’s problem.