UK defence spending to rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, Keir Starmer announces

UK defence spending will rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, the prime minister has set out.

Keir Starmer made the announcement in an unexpected House of Commons statement on Tuesday ahead of talks with US president Donald Trump at the White House.

He told MPs: “We will deliver our commitment to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence, but we will bring that forward so we reach that level in 2027.

“And we will maintain that for the rest of this parliament.”

Starmer noted that this means spending £13.4 billion more on defence every year from 2027, reflecting the biggest increase since the Cold War.

To fund the hike, the foreign aid budget will fall from 0.5 per cent of gross national income this year to 0.3 per cent in 2027.

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