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UK to press on with defence budget hike despite affordability concerns

26th September 2022 - 12:00 GMT | by Shephard News Team

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UK defence secretary Ben Wallace has signalled more investment in ISR capabilities for the UK armed forces (pictured is an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft). (Photo: UK MoD/Crown Copyright)

The UK government appears determined to double defence spending by 2030, but it cannot simply wish away the sizeable economic obstacles in the way.

The UK government still intends to more than double the annual defence budget to £100 billion by 2030, defence secretary Ben Wallace said in a recent newspaper interview.

In an interview for the Sunday Telegraph, published on 25 September, Wallace confirmed that Prime Minister Liz Truss will implement a leadership campaign pledge to raise defence spending from 2.1% of GDP today to 3% by 2030 — higher than the aspirational 2.5% from her predecessor Boris Johnson.

Details were scarce on what exactly the extra money will be spent on, but Wallace told the Sunday Telegraph that it is ‘highly

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