The UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, recently returned from a NATO summit and announced a review of Britain’s armed forces to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP. The “Strategic Defence Review” will begin immediately and aims to deliver a report by the first half of 2025.
This decision, made within two weeks of Starmer taking office, comes in response to criticism from the Conservative Party regarding Labour’s commitment to defence. Starmer’s lack of a clear timeline for increasing defence spending was a target during the election campaign, with claims that Labour posed a threat to national security.
The review will be led by former defence secretary George Robertson and will prioritize a “NATO-first” policy in Britain’s defence plans. Current defence secretary John Healey stated that the review will ensure that defence is central to Britain’s security and economic prosperity.
Specific objectives of the review include supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and modernizing the nuclear deterrent. Starmer also reaffirmed a commitment to provide £3 billion annually for military support to Ukraine until 2030-31.