Sunak under pressure to increase defence spending amid NATO warnings
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure to increase the UK’s defence spending after NATO called for allies to boost ammunition production to support Ukraine.
Tory backbenchers have issued stark warnings that Britain’s armed forces are “woefully ill-prepared” for a major conflict and that low defence spending is a “false economy”.
It came as NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg highlighted the “enormous” need for ammunition as the Ukrainian army battles Putin’s Russia and called for a “ramp up” in ammunition production.
Speaking ahead of an allied defence meeting, Stoltenberg said: “I expect that we will see further increases in defence spending this year – but we need to keep up the momentum.”
South Dorset MP Richard Drax, a former Coldstream Guardsman, told City PM: “There’s no greater priority for a government than the defence of our country.
“I’ve been saying for years as an ex-serviceman that defence spending was far too low… the target of 2 per cent [of GDP] runs out in 2024. It’s now time to up it.”
Drax, whose constituency is home to Lulworth Camp, where Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky visited troops being trained to drive British Challenger 2 tanks, called for defence spending to increase to at least 3 per cent, and said “many” Tory MPs felt the same way.
“It was 5pc in my day and now it’s 2pc,” he said.
“We are woefully ill prepared for a major conflict which, of course, we hope doesn’t happen. But look at what’s going on in Europe. We have to be prepared.
“Defence is always the one which is dropped for other priorities. Like insurance, when you need it, you regret not paying the premiums.”
Gravesham MP Adam Holloway said: “Not spending on defence is a false economy. If Ukraine fails to hold back Russia the whole thing is going to get a lot more expensive.
“We need to be spending more on defence in the first place and urgently increasing the already commendable amount the British taxpayer has given to Ukraine – but that means we have to spend more money to replace our own stocks as well.”
Defence secretary Ben Wallace has admitted the British military had been “hollowed out and underfunded”.
Writing in the i newspaper on February 13, defence select committee chairman Tobias Ellwood warned: “It’s time to rekindle our statecraft skills and increase our defence spending to 3 per cent. Or, like in the 1930s, we may just regret it.”
Evie Aspinall, senior researcher at said: “The invasion of Ukraine has made strikingly evident the importance of maintaining strong defensive capabilities, while at the same time severely depleting the UK’s defence resources.
“While Ukraine must stay front and centre, the UK cannot afford to ignore other threats to the security of the UK and its allies, not least in the Indo-Pacific.”
She added: “Investment is clearly needed to meet these challenges but with significant domestic pressure on the Treasury, it is questionable whether the ministry of defence (MoD) will receive the scale of support it or Stoltenberg seek.”
Hunt’s upcoming budget will land amid debate within the party over the government’s growth plan, after Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-budget and Sunak and Hunt’s more managerial style.
A Labour source indicated the party intends to undertake a defence and security review within their first year in government to ensure the UK’s capabilities match threats posed on the global stage.
A government spokesperson said: “The prime minister is clear that we have to do everything necessary to protect our people, which is why we are ensuring our armed forces have the equipment and capability they need.
“The 2020 spending review provided the MoD with an uplift of £24bn over four years – the largest increase in defence investment since the Cold War.
“This settlement continues to meet our commitment to exceed 2% of GDP on defence spending, and the UK remains NATO’s leading ally in Europe.”