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UK defence secretary says military will be a spending priority

Streeting tied higher defence spending to an opportunity cost across government, while Burnham reaffirmed a plan to raise defence outlays to the Nato 3.5% target by 2035.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Europe

Wes Streeting, the UK defence secretary, said the incoming Andy Burnham government will prioritize military spending over other departments, arguing that increased defence investment could support economic growth. Streeting made the remarks in a speech at the Farnborough airshow.

Streeting said he would not announce additional financial commitments, but promised to offer the arms industry “clarity and confidence.” He also said higher defence budgets would create an “opportunity cost across government,” meaning the Ministry of Defence would need to demonstrate it is using existing resources wisely.

Streeting did not provide new spending figures, but the broader context of Burnham’s earlier stance matters for markets. Burnham recommitted the UK to lifting defence spending from 2.6% of gross domestic product to the Nato target of 3.5% by 2035, a path implied to involve a real terms increase of more than £25bn in less than a decade.

The Guardian Business also noted Burnham’s view that military spending would help reindustrialize the UK, alongside expectations that the UK will meet Nato obligations. Streeting said defence is the portfolio he wanted when he returned to government after resigning as health secretary in May, and he criticized Israel for falling short in its conduct during the war in Gaza and operations in the West Bank.

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