Keir Starmer has been accused of a “staggering desertion of leadership” following his surprise announcement that defence spending would be raised to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.
The Prime Minister had previously refused to rule out a date for the increase, stating that it would come “when the economic conditions allow” as he promised to set out a roadmap to achieving the enhanced spending by the spring.
But an extraordinary two weeks in global affairs, which has highlighted the importance of increased self-sufficiency on the part of Europe when it comes to its own security, has forced the Labour leader to make the announcement early, just days before he departs to meet US President Donald Trump.
With a thawing in relations between the White House and the Kremlin and an increased awareness that the US may not be as reliable on the issue of European security as it once was, the additional 0.2%, rising to 3% in the next parliament, has been slammed by former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
He said on X: “Extra 0.2% of GDP by 2027 on Defence?? A staggering desertion of leadership. Tone deaf to dangers of the world and demands of the United States. Such a weak commitment to our security and Nation puts us all at risk.”
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Senior military officers and defence analysts have long called for defence spending to be raised to ensure the UK is prepared to deter and meet the threats of the future.
It remains to be seen whether a pledge to increase spending to 3% will be adequate to prepare a military for war after decades of underfunding.
Other Nato nations such as Poland and Estonia already spend more than 3% of GDP on defence whilst President Trump has stated publicly that he expects this to be raised to 5% for all members of the defence alliance.
During his time as Defence Secretary, Wallace claimed that the government had “hollowed out and underfunded” the army following claims by a US general that the British Army was no longer a top-tier fighting unit.
Former Parachute Regiment officer and academic Andrew Fox believes that whilst an increase in defence spending is good news, it will not solve the issues facing the armed forces on its own.
He said: “Money isn’t the only answer. For example, the Army is currently struggling to recruit private soldiers. Where would any extra soldiers come from?”
The army has recently seen the number of full-time soldiers serving in the ranks to dip below 70,000 for the first time in more than 200 hundred years.
This has been exasperated by a failing recruitment contract with private contractor Capita and a growing disillusionment amongst Gen-Z on the merits of a career in the armed forces.
A recent survey of those under 25 found that a career in the military is the third least attractive proposition for youngsters, behind only McDonalds and KFC.
It remains to be seen how the increase in defence spending, which equates to £13 billion a year will be distributed but it is expected that it will in part be used to plug gaps caused by poor recruitment.
The changing nature of warfare and lessons learnt from conflict such as Ukraine means that new roles in the fields of cyber, electronic warfare and drone operations are likely to encompass a large part of enhanced recruitment focus.
Last month the Defence Secretary announced plans to allow aspiring cyber professionals and those with existing digital skills to be fast tracked through the training pipeline “within a matter of weeks”.
