New UK cabinet faces old defence budget troubles
Backtracking or cutting into the defence budget while military tensions in Europe are high would be a politically complicated move. (Photo: UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
Pressure on the UK government is not easing despite a new Prime Minister taking office. There are plenty of questions as to how Rishi Sunak and his chancellor are planning to sustain defence spending amidst growing economic troubles.
The freshly appointed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is in no easy position. After a tumultuous few months of political and economic drama, Sunak and his chancellor Jeremy Hunt delayed the UK’s economic statement to November 17.
This statement aims to set out how the government is going to fill a £40 billion ($46,3 billion) hole in its fiscal plans and will likely set the pace of defence spending as well.
At the end of September, then-Prime Minister Liz Truss pledged to increase spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2026 and 3% by 2030. This commitment came under risk as
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 1 free story per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Defence Notes
-
![Pentagon to strengthen cyber networks of US partners and allies]()
Pentagon to strengthen cyber networks of US partners and allies
The recently released 2023 Cyber Strategy states that the US will build the capacity and capability of allies and partners in cyberspace and expand avenues of potential cyber cooperation.
-
![US Army seeks innovative new battlefield roles for drones]()
US Army seeks innovative new battlefield roles for drones
The US Army recently tested deployment of UAS to identify casualties on the battlefield and in disaster response scenarios. Drones were used to assess the vital signs of wounded soldiers from the sky.
-
![DSEI 2023: Avon Protection unveils new CBRN and military diving concepts]()
DSEI 2023: Avon Protection unveils new CBRN and military diving concepts
Avon Protection is introducing new concepts in CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) protective equipment and military diving technologies at DSEI 2023.
