DEFENCE spending will hit the 2.5 per cent of GDP target by the end of the decade, Rishi Sunak pledged today.
The PM unveiled a plan to hike the annual armed forces cash to £87billion by 2030 – a £23billion hike on the current budget.
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He hailed the “biggest strengthening of national defence in a generation” to combat a new axis of evil comprising Russia, Iran and China.
The announcement comes after already pledging an extra £500 million in military aid for Ukraine and warning Vladimir Putin “will not stop at the Polish border” unless he is defeated.
Speaking after crunch security talks in Poland, Mr Sunak said: “In a world that is the most dangerous it has been since the end of the Cold War, we cannot be complacent.
“As our adversaries align, we must do more to defend our country, our interests, and our values.”
“Today is a turning point for European security and a landmark moment in the defence of the United Kingdom.”
At a press conference alongside NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg, the PM invoked Sir Winston Churchill as he gave details about the increase.
He said: “In a world that’s the most dangerous it’s been since the end of the Cold War, we cannot and must not be complacent.
“As Churchill said in 1934 ‘to urge the preparation of defence is not to insert the imminence of war.
“On the contrary, if war was imminent, preparations for defence would be too late.’
“I believe we must do more to defend our country, our interests and our values.
“So today I’m announcing the biggest strengthening of our national defence for a generation.”
The PM outlined three key areas the extra cash will be pumped, including £10billion on munitions production, investing in modern warfare and boosting Ukraine support.
He added: “First, we will put the UK’s defence industry on a war footing.
“One of the central lessons of the war in Ukraine is that we need deeper stockpiles of munitions and for industry to be able to replenish them more quickly.”
Gradually ramping up to spending 2.5 per cent of GDP is expected to cost an extra £75billion over six years.
Mr Sunak insisted the plan is “fully-funded” without any increases in borrowing or debt.
It includes almost £3billion from a 70,000-strong reduction in the civil service headcount.
The gradual rise will mean defence spending will reach £67.5 billion next year – which amounts to 2.35 per cent of GDP.
It will then rise to 2.38 per cent in 2026/27, 2.41 per cent in 2027/28, 2.44 per cent in 2028/29, 2.47 in 2029/30 and 2.5 per cent in 2030/31.
The announcement comes after months of pressure from MPs and ministers, who had hoped to see a rise in the March Budget.
Now urging other NATO members to match the pledge, the PM said the entire alliance budget would swell by a collective £140billion.
He said: “I’m confident that whether in months or years, others will follow too.
“And at this turning point in European security, if 2.5 percent becomes a new benchmark for all NATO partners to reach, Allied defence spending would increase by over £140 billion.
“That would provide a level of safety and security for the British people and the people of all allied nations that far outstrips anything we could achieve alone.”
The expected rise will make the UK the fifth highest spender in NATO- behind only Estonia, Poland, the US, and Greece.
Speaking after the PM during the press conference, Mr Stoltenberg praised the UK for leading by example.
He said: “Prime Minister your announcement today confirms the vital role the UK plays in our alliances.
“The United Kingdom will spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030.
“Allies agreed at our summit in Vilnius last year that 2 per cent is the minimum.
“And once again, the UK is leading by example.”
Mr Sunak is on a whistle-stop tour of Poland and Berlin for security talks in the face of Putin’s invasion.
Ahead of his two-day trip, he said: “Defending Ukraine against Russia’s brutal ambitions is vital for our security and for all of Europe.
“If Putin is allowed to succeed in this war of aggression, he will not stop at the Polish border.”
Putin and his Kremlin cronies have been stocking up on their warfare whilst reinforcing their armoury in Belarus and Kaliningrad.
Polish President Andrzej Duda has already signalled his country would be happy to take up nuclear arms if they are asked to by NATO.
Mr Duda said on Monday: “Russia is increasingly militarising Kaliningrad. Recently it has been relocating its nuclear weapons to Belarus.
“If our allies decide to deploy nuclear arms on our territory as part of nuclear sharing, to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, we are ready to do so.
“I’ve already talked about it several times. I must admit that when asked about it, I declared our readiness.”
Poland sits in a crucial position as the NATO nation shares a border with Belarus and the Russian military playground of Kaliningrad.
Responding to the PM’s announcement on defence spending, Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said Labour wants to see a “fully funded plan to reach 2.5 per cent”.
He added: “Labour will conduct a strategic defence and security review in the first year in government to get to grips with the threats we face, the state of our Armed Forces, and the resources required.”
Former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace slammed Labour’s response, saying: “We don’t need another ‘defence review’ -which the Treasury love so it can delay new money. We need leadership.
“If Labour had been paying attention these last few years they wouldn’t be so clueless.”
