There is “no doubt” that UK defence spending will rise to 3% of GDP by 2034 at the latest, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.
A government source told BBC News the defence secretary had “full confidence” that ambition will be reached in the next parliament.
The government will unveil its major strategic defence review on Monday, which will outline its priorities for military and security spending in the coming years.
It is understood that the defence review is based on the assumption that the 3% target is the trajectory spending will follow.
Speaking to the Times newspaper, Healey said there was “no doubt” the UK would meet its target.
According to Defence Secretary John Healey, there is “no doubt” that UK defence spending will increase to at least 3% of GDP by 2034.
In February, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced plans to raise defense spending to 2.5 percent by April 2027, with a “clear ambition” to reach 3 percent by 2034, provided the economy improves.
The defense secretary has “full confidence” that in the upcoming parliament, a government source told BBC News.
Monday will see the release of the government’s major strategic defense review, which will set out its spending priorities for the upcoming years on security and the military.
The defense review is predicated on the understanding that spending will follow the 3 percent target trajectory.
It implies that if that spending threshold is not met, some of the plan’s measures will be unaffordable.
If the 3 percent goal is advanced, the review will allow for projects to be expedited and delivered more quickly.
With drones and artificial intelligence altering the nature of the threats Britain faces, it is anticipated to issue a warning about “a new era of threat.”.
It will suggest that troops be accompanied by new “digital” specialists to manage the army’s upcoming unmanned weapons and defend them against enemy drones.
China is described as a “sophisticated and persistent challenge” but not an enemy in the 130-page document, which contains roughly 45,000 words and warns of the “immediate and pressing” danger posed by Russia. Additionally, it will label North Korea and Iran as “regional disruptors.”.
Attaining the goal of allocating 3% of GDP to defense “would cost an additional £17.3 billion in 2029-30,” according to the OBR, the government’s independent budget watchdog.
There was “no doubt” that the UK would reach its goal, Healey told the Times newspaper.
“We can make long-term plans thanks to it. It helps us cope with the demands,” he remarked.
As other government agencies continue to negotiate their spending commitments for the next three years, the review is being conducted.
According to the BBC, Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has not yet agreed with the Treasury on how much money she will set aside for local councils and projects like the construction of social and affordable housing.
Negotiations regarding the amount of funding to be allocated to the Home Office, which is in charge of areas like border control and policing, are still in their early stages.
The defense ministry announced on Saturday that as part of the government’s review, over £12.5 billion in additional funding will be used to upgrade military homes.
The additional funds will be utilized for both the construction of new homes and urgent repairs like repairing broken boilers and eliminating mold.
It comes after the Commons defense committee’s report from the previous year, which revealed that two-thirds of service family homes required “extensive refurbishment or rebuilding” to meet contemporary standards.
Although the Liberal Democrats expressed their satisfaction that the government “has finally come to their senses and listened,” they urged ministers to go one step further and include military housing in the decent homes standard, which establishes minimal requirements for social home conditions.
