Lord Richard Dannatt has declared it “urgent” that the UK increases its defence spending even further after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to raise it to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027.
The former military chief welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment as “a significant step in the right direction”.
Speaking to GB News Dannatt said: “I’m not going to give you a shopping list of what needs to be done, but there is a historic legacy of repeated peace dividends being taken from our defence budget, going right back to the early 1990s, at the end of the Cold War.
“We’ve accepted increased risk to our military capability. But now, when we’re faced with our key partner, the United States, wanting to do less to secure Europe, we’ve got our principal foe.
Lord Richard Dannatt said it is “urgent” that defence spending is increased
GB News
“If you look at Vladimir Putin, a proven aggressor continuing his war in Ukraine, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that we’ve got to spend more on our own defence.
“In the wider world, it’s disappointing that we’re probably going to plunder the international development budget, because the UK’s influence in the world often comes through a combination of our hard power, our soft power, our diplomacy, and our development funds.
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“But priorities have to be established, and the priority that is urgent now is spending more on defence.
“How much more will be debated over the coming years, but going from 2.3 per cent to 2.5 per cent is a significant step in the right direction.
“So congratulations to the Prime Minister for listening to the argument, doing the right thing, and it will give him a slightly easier ride with Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday.”
The announcement comes as European leaders face growing pressure to devote greater resources to regional security.
The Prime Minister committed to spending an additional £13.4 billion on defence annually from 2027
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Starmer’s pledge represents what he called the “biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of cold war”.
The Prime Minister committed to spending an additional £13.4 billion on defence annually from 2027.
Taking into account spending on intelligence and security services, total defence spending will reach 2.6 per cent of GDP.
The UK currently spends around 2.3 per cent of GDP on defence, according to figures from the House of Commons Library.
Britain is already one of 23 Nato members that meet the alliance’s target of spending at least 2 per cent of GDP on defence.
Starmer revealed the government will fund this increase by cutting aid spending from 0.5 per cent of GDP to 0.3 per cent from 2027.
The commitment comes at a tight time for public finances, with other departments bracing for painful cuts to make way for the defence boost.