Ministers urge government to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP

Two ministers are pressing the UK government to boost defense expenditure to at least 2.5% of the GDP, amid global security concerns involving Russia and China.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Tom Tugendhat, argued in a LinkedIn article that investment is urgently needed to grow military industrial capacities and maintain an edge over adversaries.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has stated the current defense budget exceeds the 2% NATO target and will climb to 2.5% when economically viable. Despite this, Trevelyan, a Foreign Office minister, and Tugendhat, the Security Minister, emphasized the immediate need to meet this target citing the threats to global security.

Their call comes after the release of the recent Budget, which was critiqued for not enhancing defense funding. Both ministers have reiterated their support for Hunt and the government's policy to achieve a 2.5% spending goal as swiftly as possible.

The urgency of increasing the defense budget aligns with previous efforts by former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Prime Minister Boris Johnson to increase spending. Nonetheless, the UK's actual military capability costs now exceed the Ministry of Defence's budget by a record £16.9bn, and a parliamentary committee suggests the real gap might be closer to £29bn.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had lobbied for a solid 2.5% commitment prior to the Budget release, but a source stated he was not involved in the LinkedIn piece. While the article was not officially sanctioned by Downing Street, such an approach is typical for social media communications.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has affirmed the government's intent to work towards the 2.5% target, noting a significant £24bn funding increase in the latest spending review as the largest since the Cold War’s end.