Britain is putting its defence industry on a ‘war-footing’, the Prime Minister has said, as he vowed to boost spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030. It was only a matter of time that Rishi Sunak made such an announcement. After all, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine illustrated a simple truth: that the world is more dangerous now than for a generation, and nations will need to increase their defence spending if they want to protect themselves and their interests. Grant Shapps, Penny Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat had all expounded this view from within government, and now it seems the PM has given his seal of approval.
The money is desperately needed
Sunak’s pledge, made on a European visit which takes in Poland and Germany, means tens of billions of pounds more for the armed forces. The cash injection would push the UK comfortably beyond the two per cent target set by Nato: even this year, only 18 of the alliance’s 32 members are expected to meet that commitment.
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