Defence Secretary John Healey will go public today after days of speculation about the future of UK defence spending and the possibility of sending British troops to Ukraine.
It’s been a number of years since Defence policy was so prominent in the news, and Mr Healey’s speech, interview and Q&A will attract many eyes in Westminster.
Mr Healey will take to the stage at the Institute for Government think tank at 9.30, a day after stories emerged that some government departments may face cuts of as much as 11% to fund a major increase in Britain’s defence capabilities.
Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Sir Keir Starmer is keen to set out a roadmap to 2.5% of GDP on defence, which is more pressing now than ever before in light of Donald Trump’s demand for Europe to contribute more to the continent’s peace and safety.
The Treasury has told unprotected departments to model cuts of up to 11% as a worst-case-scenario situation in the Spring spending review.
The major intervention also comes as British political leaders debate whether troops should be sent to Ukraine to help keep the peace in the event of an end to the war.
Follow below for live updates…
