UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to increase military spending by at least £1bn more than previously proposed, marking one of the most significant attempts to shore up his legacy as prime minister, EDnews reports via the Financial Times.
Starmer is set to publish a much-delayed defence investment plan on Tuesday. Total funding for the military over the next four years is expected to rise by between approximately £14.5bn and £15bn above the currently scheduled increases, according to people familiar with the matter.
The revised plan follows the resignation of defence secretary John Healey this month in protest at Starmer's previous proposal of £13.5bn.
The new defence secretary Dan Jarvis has reworked the plan and has made "stark choices" to prioritise the armed forces' readiness for combat and the use of autonomy across all the services, the people familiar with the matter said.
The blueprint will include more investment in drones and other autonomous systems than was proposed by Healey, including uncrewed ground vehicles for the British Army to resupply the frontline and evacuate casualties.
Healey had wanted £18bn to extra funding, during months of intense wrangling between Number 10, the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury. In his resignation letter protesting the government's spending plans, he called on Starmer to commit to "a headmark date for 3 percent of GDP on defence in 2030."
He said Starmer's plan would take it to only 2.68 percent.
Three defence figures said that some parts of the MoD were still hopeful of securing as much as £2.5bn extra above the previous proposed settlement, but people familiar with the negotiations said £1bn to £1.5bn was most likely.
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