UK's Healey says government will fill defence gap by 'reprioritising'
The government will cover the shortfall by reprioritizing Whitehall capital budgets and borrowing, while delaying a detailed route to NATO’s 3.5% goal until next year.
- On Wednesday, Chancellor John Healey delivered his first budget, announcing he is "fully funding" the Defence Investment Plan by covering a £4.7 billion gap through capital reprioritization across Whitehall.
- Healey, who resigned as Defence Secretary in June over funding concerns, faces pressure from Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Defense Minister Wes Streeting to increase investment speed.
- To fill the deficit, the government will reduce departmental capital budgets by 1% through 2030, while Healey launched an "Innovative Defence Financing Taskforce" to attract private investment into sovereign military technology.
- While the government committed to 3% of GDP defence spending by 2030, Healey deferred detailed plans for the 3.5% NATO target until next year's Spending Review, drawing criticism from opposition Conservatives.
- Critics argue the 2.7% headline figure relies on broad NATO definitions, as the actual departmental budget represents just 2.3% of GDP, leaving military capability dependent on future fiscal decisions.
16 Articles
16 Articles
UK Government aims to spend 3% of GDP on defense by 2030, Chancellor says, but not everyone's convinced
The UK Government will aim to spend 3% of economic output on defense by 2030, and will plot a course for the target at next year's spending review, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey has said. Work is underway to reach the target – and Britain's promise to NATO to spend 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2035 – in a “fiscally sustainable way”, the Chancellor said, indicating that raising defense spending further could in part come from making cuts elsewhere.
UK commits to 3 percent GDP on defense by 2030, new investment partnerships with industry
Chancellor John Healey said that the UK’s recent Defence Investment Plan would be “fully” funded, indicating the money for defense would come from cuts to other priorities.
Budget closes defence funding gap but tough decisions on real increases put off until next year - Navy Lookout
In his first Budget statement made today, Chancellor John Healey announced he had secured the £4.7Bn needed to complete funding for the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), removing an immediate source of uncertainty for the armed forces. A 2030 date for spending 3% of GDP on defence is now on the record, but finding the money […] The post Budget closes defence funding gap but tough decisions on real increases put off until next year first appeared on…
UK's Healey says government will fill defence plan gap by 'reprioritising'
Healey Vows to Boost UK Defense Spending to 3% of Output by 2030
The UK will ramp up military spending to 3% of economic output by the end of this decade, Chancellor John Healey said, as he sought to plug a resource gap that prompted his resignation as defense secretary just over four months ago.
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