The pledge, which Sunak said would not require spending cuts or tax increases, would take the UK’s annual defense spending to £87 billion in 2030-31.
NATO countries are expected to spend 2% of their GDP on defense, and 18 members are currently on track to do so. Germany achieved this goal for the first time this year. Former US president and current candidate Donald Trump has suggested he will not protect countries that fail to meet their targets if attacked, reigniting the debate over defense spending in Europe.
In a statement accompanying Sunak’s announcement, 10 Downing Street said: “If all NATO countries spent at least 2.5% of their GDP on defence, our collective budget would increase by more than £140 billion. pound sterling. »
The new package will include an additional £10 billion investment over the next decade in munitions production and “radical” reforms to Britain’s defense procurement procedures, the British government has said. He also pledges to create a new “Defense Innovation Agency” to boost military research and development.
“Today is a turning point for European security and a historic moment in the defense of the United Kingdom,” Sunak said.
The announcement comes after POLITICO reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was preparing to ask Sunak to increase British defense spending at a bilateral meeting tomorrow.
Politico
