Healey sees defence spend rise to 3% of GDP by 2034

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 source told the BBC this was Healey’s opinion, not a new commitment.

His comment comes as the government prepares to unveil its strategic defence review which will outline priorities for the military and security spending in the coming years.

Earlier this year the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, laid out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% by April 2027, with a “clear ambition” to reach 3% by 2034, economic conditions allowing.

But it is understood that the strategic defence review, to be published on Monday, is based on the assumption that the 3% target is the trajectory spending will follow, with the possibility projects could be delivered faster if the target were brought forward.

The review will state that the world and the threats the country faces are changing fast.

It will recommend the deployment of new “digital” experts alongside troops to protect them from enemy drones and to control the army’s own, future, unmanned weapons.

Speaking to the Times newspaper, Healey said the UK defence spending target allowed the UK to “plan for the long term… [and] deal with the pressures”.

As a result of the review, the Ministry of Defence will spend more than £1bn to develop technology to speed up decisions on the battlefield.

Nato heads of government are set to meet in The Hague, in the Netherlands, next month, where it is expected that its secretary-general will call on allies to increase defence spending.

Earlier this month, while addressing the alliance’s parliamentary assembly, Mark Rutte suggested that the 32 member countries agree on a “high defence spend target of, in total, 5%”.

New money for defence will be found in part by reducing UK overseas aid from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3%.

The cut in aid prompted International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds to resign in February, telling the prime minister in a letter that the move would “remove food and healthcare from desperate people – deeply harming the UK’s reputation”.