Is higher spending a magic bullet for UK defence?

Labour has vowed to up defence spending to 2.5% of GDP and increase nuclear deterrent

Keir Starmer and military imagery, including tanks, warships, submarines and artillery
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images)

Labour would boost defence spending and the UK's nuclear deterrent programme, Keir Starmer has said amid mounting warnings about Britain's "eroded" Armed Forces.

Defence is "the number one issue for any government" facing "rising global threats and growing Russian aggression", the party leader told i news. He vowed to match the Conservatives' pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, up from just under 2.3%, "as soon as resources allow that to happen".

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.