politics
UK PM Starmer announces defense investment plan with drone focus and 2.7% spending target
The U.K. government unveiled a defense investment roadmap on June 30 that prioritizes self-flying jets, uncrewed submarines and drones while outlining gradual spending increases toward 3% of GDP.
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Britain's defense investment plan, unveiled Tuesday by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, commits to raising annual defense spending to 2.7% of GDP and projects 80 billion pounds per year by 2029. The plan prioritizes drones, autonomous systems, and hybrid naval vessels over traditional crewed platforms.
Starmer stated the government is "raising defence spend to 2.7%, putting us on a trajectory to reach 3% in the next Parliament." He also said the UK "will be spending 80B pounds a year on defence by 2029." The plan defers the 3% GDP target to the next Parliament and references NATO's 3.5% target by 2035.
The Royal Navy will receive hybrid vessels to serve as command hubs for drones. The plan includes 15 billion pounds in new spending, up from the 13.5 billion pounds previously allocated. Starmer spoke at a drone manufacturer near London and referenced Ukraine's use of 200,000 drones per month against Russian forces since the 2022 invasion, noting that Ukrainian forces have destroyed Russia's Black Sea fleet.
John Healey resigned as defense secretary on June 11. Dan Jarvis is the current defense secretary. Starmer is scheduled to attend a NATO summit in Turkey on July 7 and 8.
