Chancellor John Healey used his first budget to commit the UK, for the first time, to spending 3% of national income on defence by 2030, but did not say how it would be paid for, Politico Europe reports.
Healey, who resigned as defence secretary under Keir Starmer in a dispute over funding, said a wider spending review next year would set out the route. He mentioned tougher scrutiny of public spending and new financing ideas, including joint buying with Finland, Poland and the Netherlands. The Treasury said £3bn of a £4.7bn gap in the Defence Investment Plan would come from reallocating capital budgets, including cuts at the energy department.
Nato's secretary general, Mark Rutte, welcomed the pledge. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the budget failed to deal with problems ahead, and the industry body Make UK Defence asked for more detail.
Source: Politico Europe
