News · 30 June 2026
Starmer boosts military spending by £15bn, cuts other budgets.
Staff Sgt. Jocelyn L. Rich USAF via Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons CC0 License)
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a £15 billion increase in military spending, funded by cutting investment budgets in other government departments. This plan aims to raise defence funding to £80 billion a year by 2029, with some road and energy projects not going ahead. The extra spending is more than the £13.5 billion previously secured, but less than the £28 billion defence chiefs reportedly wanted.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs