Strategic defence review live: Starmer reveals largest increase in spending since Cold War as UK faces ‘new era of threat’

Conservative former foreign secretary Sir James Cleverly has accused the government of being “timid” in its response to the strategic defence review (SDR).

In the Commons, Sir James said “fundamentally, it seems to be heading in the right direction” and added: “But why so timid? Why so slow?

“If, as (Mr Healey) says, we are facing an era-defining moment, then why not move with the pace that that era demands? Why not commit to 3 per cent in a meaningful timescale to give industry and the forces some serious opportunity to plan and make this a document that is worth its name, rather than just a ‘let’s see how little we can get away with to keep the papers happy’?”

Defence secretary John Healey replied that he would “reject that characterisation completely”.

Sir James heckled “timid” and “look forwards not backwards” from his seat as Mr Healey continued: “It is a complete break from what the government that he was a leading member of less than a year ago was presiding over – 14 years hollowing out and underfunding our armed forces and ended now.

“A defence with no vision for the future. That’s ended now.”

The defence secretary has said he has “no doubt” that defence spending will increase to 3 per cent by next parliament.

John Healey, replying to the Conservatives, told the Commons: “I see the way the world is changing, I see the way the Chancellor is fixing the economic foundations after 14 years of failure under the Conservative government and I have to say to the House that I have no doubt that we will meet our ambition to hit 3 per cent of spending on defence in the next Parliament.

“It is something that the prime minister this morning reinforced. He said that the SDR can be delivered because our commitment to 2.5 per cent was built in to the terms of reference and he said this morning we’re committed to spending what we need to deliver this review.”

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said there has been a “total unravelling” of the strategic defence review, telling MPs: “They haven’t got a plan to fund it.

“An SDR without the funding is an empty wish list. The ships and submarines it talks of are a fantasy fleet. The reviewers were clear in the Telegraph today that the commitment to 3 per cent, and I quote, established the affordability of the plan.

“On Thursday, the defence secretary said in an interview with The Times that reaching 3 per cent was a certainty. But by the weekend he had completely backtracked to 3 per cent to being just an ambition. And today the prime minister was unable to give a date by when 3 per cent would be reached. Why? Because the treasury hasn’t approved a plan to pay for it.”

Mr Cartlidge added: “For the treasury to approve a plan, it will have to feature billions of pounds of cuts to existing MoD (Ministry of Defence) programmes and so this SDR has dodged the big decisions on existing capabilities.

“Can the secretary of state confirm that the so-called defence investment plan, to be published in the autumn, will set out the cuts needed for the treasury to agree a plan to get to 3 per cent, details we should have had today in the SDR.”

Mr Cartlidge went on: “The secretary of state says he wants to send a strong message to Moscow, but the messages he’s sending are profoundly weak.”

The strategic defence review will mark an end to an era of “hollowing out” of the armed forces, MPs were told.

Rounding off his statement to the Commons, defence secretary John Healey said: “This SDR is the first defence review in a generation for growth and for transformation in UK defence.

“It will end 14 years of hollowing out in our armed forces, and instead we will see investment increased, the navy expanded, the army grown, the air force upgraded, war fighting readiness restored, Nato strengthened, the nuclear deterrent guaranteed, advance technology developed and jobs, jobs created in every nation and region of this country.

“The Strategic Defence Review will make Britain safer, more secure at home, and stronger abroad.”

The government is aiming to be the first in a “generation” to see the number of soldiers in the British Army to increase, John Healey said.

The Defence Secretary said there would be a renewed focus on recruitment to stop the long-term decline in numbers.

Mr Healey said: “For too long our army has been asked to do more with less. We inherited a long-run recruitment crisis, 14 Tory years of cuts to full-time troops.

“Reversing this decline will take time, but we are acting to stem the loss now and aiming to increase the British Army to at least 76,000 full time soldiers in the next Parliament.

“For the first time in a generation, we are a Government who want the number of regular soldiers to rise.”

The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin reports:

In the foreword to the review, the defence secretary John Healey writes: “Whoever gets new technology into the hands of their Armed Forces the quickest will win

Ministers have already announced plans for up to six new munition factories, up to 12 new nuclear attack submarines, £15bn of investment in the nuclear warhead programme, 7,000 UK-built long range weapons.

At the weekend Mr Healey appeared to confirm he wants to purchase fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons, a major step up which would signal the UK recognised the world had entered a more dangerous era.

The report also calls for greater use of AI as well as a new ‘Digital Warfighter Group’ which is recommends should not be held back by constraints on how much it can pay its staff, calling for “appropriate recruitment and pay freedoms”.

The SDSR also says at least ten per cent of the MOD equipment procurement budget should be spent on new technologies every year.

It urges ministers to remove red tape and other barriers to collaboration with industry partners.

The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin reports:

The review praises as “good news” the government’s “ambition” to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence “if economic and fiscal conditions allow”.

But the report’s authors do add: “However, as we live in such turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”.

It is understood that the report, and, crucially its recommendations, were written with the assumption that ministers would meet the 3 per cent target by the stated date of 2034