Ministers Urge Increase in Defence Budget to Address Growing Global Threats

Rishi Sunak is facing pressure to raise defence spending after two serving ministers publicly demanded a “much greater pace” of investment.

Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan and security minister Tom Tugendhat made the call following criticism of the budget for not increasing defence spending.

The two senior Tories believe that the UK should set an example by increasing defence and security spending to at least 2.5 percent of GDP, a measure of the economy’s size.

While the government aims to reach 2.5 percent, exceeding the NATO-wide target of 2 percent, the ministers argue that global risks posed by countries like Russia and China leave no room for delay.

“The unfortunate reality is that the world is no longer safe,” they stated.

“To protect ourselves, we need to invest. Effective investment means that our industrial complex must grow and strengthen at a much faster pace than currently.”

“We cannot suddenly activate the complex platforms and weapons that secure military advantage. We must begin that growth now, investing swiftly to support our allies and stay ahead of our foes.”

In the budget, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt mentioned that “our spending will increase to 2.5 percent once economic conditions allow,” but did not provide specifics on how that would be achieved.

The article by Ms. Trevelyan and Mr. Tugendhat did not require clearance from Number 10 as it is a social media post and is consistent with government policy of increasing spending to 2.5 percent.

However, it reflects a significant level of concern within the Tory ranks regarding the state of the defence budget.

The Commons’ spending watchdog cautioned on Friday that the Ministry of Defence lacks a viable plan to finance the desired military capabilities, forcing the UK to increasingly rely on allies.

The shortfall between the Ministry of Defence’s budget and the cost of the UK’s desired military capabilities has grown to £16.9 billion, its largest deficit ever, despite an injection of £46.3 billion over the next decade, according to the watchdog.

Yet, the influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warned that the actual deficit could be closer to £29 billion, as some parts of the armed forces only included affordable capabilities, not all requested by the government.

Both Ms. Trevelyan, the Indo-Pacific minister, and Mr. Tugendhat expressed concern about the level of defence spending necessary to respond to China’s increasing assertiveness on the global stage.

“This week, China announced a further 7.2 percent increase in its defence spending, bringing it to $230 billion, more than double the amount from a decade ago,” they reported.

“Russia is committing 40 percent of its budget to defence and security this year, substantial amounts to support its illegal actions in Ukraine,” they continued.

In contrast, the US defence budget this year is $842 billion, less than a 50 percent increase over the same period. The UK’s defence budget has only grown from £43 billion to £55 billion, a rise of 28 percent.

“It is evident to us that the UK must lead the way in increasing our domestic defence and security spending commitments to 2.5 percent and beyond,” they emphasized.

“Former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Prime Minister Boris Johnson made progress in increasing our defence budgets, which had been declining in real terms for years, but now we need additional growth.”

Downing Street has defended the government’s performance.

Responding to the PAC report, a spokeswoman for No. 10 stated, “The Prime Minister has overseen the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, with a £24 billion increase in cash terms over the spending review period.”

“We are ensuring that we have the largest defence budget in history, increasing spending and ensuring that we have the necessary funding to protect UK national interests.”