British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a plan to spend approximately 300 billion pounds ($397 billion) to modernize the armed forces over the next four years.
With Starmer expected to step down next month after losing support from Labour Party lawmakers, he announced on Tuesday that the general defense budget will increase by 15 billion pounds ($20 billion) over four years, reaching around 300 billion pounds.
Details of the Plan
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, the plan envisions investing more than 5 billion pounds ($6.6 billion) in drones and autonomous systems over the next four years.
Starmer said, "Last year, I made the decision to divert aid spending to defense in the national interest, and I have delivered the largest increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War." "It was the right choice because the world has changed. National security is economic security. Today we are increasing defense spending further — we are providing an additional 15 billion pounds by reprioritizing spending across government."
Political Turmoil
The plan came after months of debate within Starmer's government. This month, two defense ministers, including Defense Secretary John Healey, resigned over spending proposals. Healey said the plans risked making Britain "less secure."
NATO Summit and Goals
Starmer's announcement followed calls from US President Donald Trump for NATO allies to spend more on defense and reduce reliance on Washington. Starmer will take the plan, which projects spending of around 80 billion pounds ($105.7 billion) per year by 2029, to the NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara. He aims to convey the message that Britain is on track to spend 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense by 2035.
With his likely successor Andy Burnham expected to take office as early as July 20, Starmer acknowledged that new governments could "evolve" his plan.
Criticism
Critics of the plan, which was delayed by more than nine months, argued it was too little and too late.
