MP: Defence spending must increase
Today at Defence Questions, John asked,
“While conscious that the Defence Secretary has taken on board the 1922 Defence Committee’s report last year when composing his Command Paper, and that we are due to hear very shortly about the Integrated Review and one-off increases, what does he think it will take for this House to sustainably move the dial on defence spending given geopolitical events?”
The Defence Secretary responded that defence spending has been increasing since 2020, and that there will be further debates following this week’s Budget.
John said afterwards,
“It is good news that £5 billion extra is to be made available for defence, but this is aimed at supporting Ukraine or establishing the new AUKUS alliance. Whilst the Government’s commitment to increasing spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP is welcome, there is no clear timescale for this. Meanwhile, the ongoing war in Ukraine demonstrates the value of defence and reminds us of the fact that modern weapons and training have long lead-in times.”
