Keir Starmer is unveiling a long-delayed defence investment plan (Dip) to future-proof Britain’s armed forces with a “game-changing” investment.
The Prime Minister is addressing the nation this morning, introduced by new Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, in one of his final big speeches before his expected departure from No10 on July 20.
Mr Starmer said the long-delayed plan will keep the country “safe and secure long into the future” with £5billion to ramp up the UK’s use of drones and autonomous weapons.
But the long-awaited plan for military investment is expected to fall short of the £28billion originally asked for by defence chiefs. Earlier this month, John Healey dramatically quit as Defence Secretary, accusing the Treasury of being unwilling to commit the funds needed to defend the nation. He was followed out the door by Armed Forces minister Al Carns and two ministerial aides in the department.
Mr Jarvis is already understood to have secured another £1billion on top of the £13.5billion Mr Healey was offered. This takes the total settlement closer to £15billion over the next four years – more than £10billon less than the original amount requested.
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New UpdatesView PostView PostView PostView PostView PostView PostView PostView PostView PostView PostView PostView PostToday11:08 BST
The Ministry of Defence has just sent us a breakdown on where the extra funding is going.The department said it includes:
- More than £8 billion in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) over the next four years, progressing the programme which will build a next-generation stealth fighter jet for the Royal Air Force, alongside our close allies Japan and Italy.
- More than £63 billion over the next four years to strengthen the UK’s nuclear deterrent and to fund Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS submarines, a new warhead, and other crucial nuclear work. The government will also purchase 12 F35As and join NATO’s nuclear mission.
- Including elements of the above nuclear investment in the first four years, £26 billion over the next decade in Project Royal Oak – the biggest naval base upgrade for over 45 years, including multi-billion-pound upgrades at Faslane, Portsmouth and Devonport.
- Over £5 billion for the next four years to fund a drone transformation for our Armed Forces. As part of this, £650 million will deliver inexpensive expendable autonomous systems including drones and uncrewed ground vehicles to rapidly enhance the lethality of the Army, Commando Force and Special Forces.
- Nearly £2 billion to integrate our Armed Forces through a new Digital Targeting Web. This will enable faster decision-making and speed in destroying identified targets and will be underpinned by world leading AI and software.
- £790 million over the next four years to enhance protection of the UK homeland and overseas bases from air, drone and missile threats. This will revolutionise command and control and buy new radars and sensors. The government will also invest in Directed Energy Weapons, upgrade Sea Viper for our Type 45 destroyers, expand counter drone systems, and build a new Integrated Air, Space and Missile Defence Operations Centre.
- £11 billion on munitions and weapons to increase UK stockpiles and ensure our Armed Forces have the right mix of capabilities to defeat targets, including long-range strike weapons, low-cost cruise missiles and one-way effectors. By 2030, we will have built at least six new energetics factories and increased our national munitions production capacity.
- £900 million investment to drive efficiency and reform procurement, including a £500 million Transformation Fund to deliver productivity improving investments in AI and workforce transformation, as well as an initial £400m contribution to setting up the Multilateral Defence Mechanism.
- £100 million for the Prime Minister’s Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce (RAID) to accelerate the deployment of AI-enabled capabilities into the hands of our Armed Forces.
David BurkeToday11:03 BST
The PM said boosting Britain’s defence is a legacy he takes pride in as he gave a message to Andy Burnham.
Mr Starmer, who has been critical of the withering away seen under the Tories, warned the Prime Minister-in-waiting that ramping up spending must be the “number one priority” in the next spending review.
He told the audience: “Two years ago, this country spent £54billion a year on defense.
“We are taking this to almost £80billion pounds by 2029. That is a real terms increase of 27 per cent from spending 2.3 per cent of GDP on defense in 2024.
“We are raising it to 2.7 per cent, putting us on a trajectory to reach 3 per cent in the next Parliament, which must be the number one priority at the next spending review.
“At last year’s NATO summit, I committed to spend 5 per cent of GDP on our wider security, covering things like energy security and critical infrastructure, as well as defense.
“The Defense Investment Plan published today takes us to 4.2 per cent under that commitment.
“By any measure, this is a huge historic shift for our nation and a legacy in which I take pride.”
He continued: “And we must use this investment wisely, as I know that in the past, defense spending has sometimes been seen as a bottomless pit.
“People see the money going in, but they don’t feel the benefits.
“So this time must be different. We can’t just spend more. We’ve got to spend better.”
Anders AngleseyToday11:00 BST
Keir Starmer said some road and energy projects that are not “immediately vital” would be scrapped to pay for increased defence spending.
The Prime Minister ruled out funding the defence investment plan through defence bonds, calling them “borrowing by another name”.
He said: “We’ve looked at this very carefully, but the fact is doing this through borrowing would push interest rates higher at a time when one pound in every 10 already goes on paying debt interest.”
Sir Keir also said he would not cut day-to-day spending to fund defence.
He said: “Slash funding to our public services in favour of defence, and we would be fundamentally weaker as a nation, more fractured as a society, less able to defend ourselves when our enemies prey on social division.
“So the hard truth is there are no easy answers, but the settlement I’m setting out today is the right choice for the country.
“It delivers the decisive action we need on defence in a way that is within our fiscal rules and that will not take resources away from day-to-day spending on frontline services like health and education.
“Instead, it is funded by reallocating spending from across Government departments, reallocating capital budgets by one penny in every pound, while still maintaining public investment at the highest sustained levels since the 1970s.”
He added: “Therefore, some capital projects, for example on roads and energy, which are important but not immediately vital, will no longer go ahead as planned.”
Anders AngleseyToday10:59 BST
Sir Keir Starmer said the annual defence spend will increase from £54 billion to £80 billion by 2029.
Speaking in Berkshire, the Prime Minister said: “Before we came into office two years ago, this country spent £54 billion pounds a year on defence.
“We are taking this to almost £80 billion pounds a year by 2029.”
Anders AngleseyToday10:58 BST
Keir Starmer took a jab at previous governments, claiming the defence investment plan had been fully costed.
He said: “Unlike previous governments, we have taken care to fully cost this plan.”
The Prime Minister went on to attack commenters and politicians who claimed “we can just raise borrowing” to pay for the plan.
He did warn that some road and energy projects would not go ahead as planned due to money being moved over to the project.
Anders AngleseyToday10:55 BST
The Prime Minister said that £15billion of extra cash for defence has been found without making devastating cuts to public services.
Doing so, he said, would leave the UK “fundamentally weaker as a nation” – making the country more divided. Enemies would prey on this division, he warned.
The PM said he had protected day-to-day spending on education and the NHS, without piling on extra borrowing.He stated: “Strong public finances are a fundamental part of our strength in this world.
“Lose control of them, we’re not just poorer, we’re much less secure. Slash funding to our public services in favor of defense and we would be fundamentally weaker as a nation, more fractured as a society, less able to defend ourselves when our enemies prey on social division.
“So the hard truth is there are no easy answers.
“But the settlement I’m setting out today is the right choice for the country.
“It delivers the decisive action we need on defense in a way that is within our fiscal rules, and that will not take resources away from day-to-day spending on frontline services like health and education.
“Instead it’s funded by reallocating spending from across government departments, reallocating capital budgets by one penny in every pound, while still maintaining public investment at the highest sustained levels since the 1970s.”
David BurkeToday10:54 BST
Keir Starmer said the defence investment plan (Dip) has reversed the “corrosive hollowing out” of the armed forces.
Speaking in Berkshire, he said: “We must stand more firmly on our own two feet.
“We must do what it takes to meet this new world head on, to keep our country safe and seize the opportunities that come from investing against our sovereign strength. That is what we’re doing.
“That’s why we have reversed the corrosive hollowing out of our armed forces, and it’s why we’re transforming a defence programme that, frankly, for too long has been underfunded and unsuited for the threats that we face.”
Anders AngleseyToday10:52 BST
Sir Keir Starmer has said the amount of money in the defence investment plan is “the right choice for the country”, but warned it would mean some road and energy projects will be scrapped.
Anders AngleseyToday10:52 BST
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said conflicts in Ukraine and in the Middle East are not “remote” threats.
“We see the horrendous human toll of these conflicts, which cuts across our values of justice and sovereignty, and that simple British impulse that bullies and dictators cannot be allowed to push people around,” Sir Keir said as the defence investment plan was revealed.
“We also know that these threats are not remote. We see foreign states targeting our nation as well.
“Thugs hired by foreign powers conducting violence, vandalism, and arson on our streets.
“Disinformation aimed at sowing division and stoking disorder, spreading lies and undermining our democracy.
“Russian ships targeting the underwater cables that carry the data on which modern life depends.”
Anders AngleseyToday10:50 BST
Mr Starmer has defended his record on defence – saying the UK must “stand more firmly on our own two feet”.
The Prime Minister said that while the relationship with the US is important, Europe needs to step up. This has been a key figure running through his premiership.
Mr Starmer told the audience: “Understanding that the ability to innovate and produce at speed and at scale is more vital than ever to military power.
“Against that background, NATO is more vital than ever. Yes, we recognise that things have changed here too.
“While the US remains our key ally, I have been clear that in order to sustain NATO, the most successful military alliance the world has ever seen, European nations must take more primary responsibility for their own defense.
“These are the challenges and the challenges which have defined my premiership, and that will continue to shape our times.
“And look, my view has been the same since day one – we must stand more firmly on our own two feet.
“We must do what it takes to meet this new world head-on.
“To keep our country safe and seize the opportunities that come from investing in our sovereign strength. That is what we’re doing.
“That’s why we have reversed at last the corrosive hollowing out of our armed forces.“
David BurkeToday10:47 BST
Rachel Reeves said defence funding would increase by £15 billion through “reprioritising spending” across Government.
The Chancellor said: “Last year, I made the decision in the national interest to reprioritise aid spending towards defence and achieved the biggest uplift in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.
“That was the right choice, because the world has changed. National security is economic security.
“Today, we uplift defence spending further, an additional £15 billion worth of funding, by against reprioritising spending across Government.”
Anders AngleseyToday10:46 BST
Keir Starmer tells the audience that Brits are increasingly worried about the threats the country faces.
The Prime Minister, in one of his final major policy speeches, said: “As prime minister, you get to meet people from all walks of life, up and down the United Kingdom.
“And I know how worried they are about the state of our world. They see the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East impacting on our stability, driving up the cost of living.
“And they’re feeling tired at being at the mercy of events beyond our shores.
“We see countries that are arming and tensions that are rising, a more dangerous and volatile world than at any time for decades.
“We see the horrendous human toll of these conflicts, which cuts across our values of justice and sovereignty, and that simple British impulse that bullies and dictators cannot be allowed to push people around.
“We also know that these threats are not remote. We see foreign states targeting our nation as well.”
David BurkeToday10:44 BST
Keir Starmer said the UK now faces “a more dangerous and volatile world than at any time for decades.”
Anders AngleseyToday10:43 BST
Mirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in from the Starmer speech…
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has now taken to the stage where she is looking back on her two years as head of the Treasury.
She talks about the “right choice” she made in cutting foreign aid to boost defence spending.
As with Starmer, this could be one of her final speeches as Chancellor – and it feels poignant and significant. She pays tribute to Starmer and says his “moral clarity” in the face of global threats will be part of his legacy.
Introducing the PM, Ms Reeves says: “The defence of our country in the age of insecurity has been a defining pillar of his leadership, and his absolute moral clarity in the face of the threats that we face as a nation will go down as part of his legacy, so it is my honour to introduce my friend, our Prime Minister Keir Starmer.”
Sophie HuskissonToday10:42 BST
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has said the plan is Britain’s investment in drone warfare.
He said the DIP will meet the challenges the country faces in the face of growing threats as he paid tribute to Keir Starmer.
In a speech ahead of the Prime Minister’s address, he said: “This plan recognises the hard truth that the conflict in Ukraine completely upended the way of war.
“In response, today we’re committing the UK’s biggest ever investment in drone warfare. More money for our Royal Navy. More money to increase the British Army’s lethality and more money for the next generation Royal Air Force.
“This plan reflects both the realities of future warfare and the principles that have kept us safe for generations.
“We will strengthen our nuclear deterrent and bolster NATO.
“Now, I know that there is more work to do, and we’ve made a commitment to our allies as they did to us. And under this government, that promise will be met“
Mr Jarvis, who took the role after John Healey resigned in protest last month, said: “The central purpose of this plan is to get the kit and technology that our armed forces need, so they can fight and deter now and in the years ahead.
“Credit goes to the Prime Minister, and not only for getting us here today on matters of national security.
“I’ve seen him make tough decisions and always with conviction and assurance. Under his leadership, Britain has proved itself a reliable partner and a trusted ally.”
David BurkeToday10:41 BST
Mirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in from the Starmer speech…Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Dan Jarvis have entered the room.
Mr Jarvis, the Defence Secretary, is giving some opening remarks before the PM begins his speech on military spending. Mr Starmer and Ms Reeves sit beside one another on the front row.
This could be one of Mr Starmer’s last speeches – and Mr Jarvis’s intro feels like a tribute to the PM’s work on the world stage.
He praises Mr Starmer’s dedication to Ukraine and his leadership on helping to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “Under his leadership, Britain has proved itself a reliable partner and a trusted ally,” he says.
Sophie HuskissonToday10:40 BST
Chancellor Rachel Reeves praised Keir Starmer as part of her statement ahead of his speech today.
Anders AngleseyToday10:38 BST
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis praised Keir Starmer over his “tough decisions” on the UK’s defence.
He added: “The measure of our security is the strength of those who defend it.
“The central purpose of this plan is to get the kit and technology that our armed forces need, so they can fight and deter now and in the years ahead.
“Credit goes to the prime minister, and not only for getting us here today on matters of national security.
“I’ve seen him make tough decisions and always with conviction and assurance. Under his leadership, Britain has proved itself a reliable partner and a trusted ally.”
Jarvis continued: “Our personnel are today better supported and through this defence investment plan, we will make them better prepared,”he says.
“This plan recognises the hard truth that the conflict in Ukraine completely upended the way of war.
“In response, today we’re committing the UK’s biggest ever investment in drone warfare more money for hybrid Royal Navy, more money to increase the British Army’s lethality, and more money for the next generation Royal Air Force.
“This plan reflects both the realities of future warfare and the principles that have kept us safe for generations. We will strengthen our nuclear deterrent and bolster NATO.”
Anders AngleseyToday10:35 BST
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis praised outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his support for Ukraine and how he handled the Iran War.
He added Starmer “made the right choices” on the issues that mattered.
Jarvis also said military families were better supported under Starmer’s leadership and the defence plan would give more money for drones that reflects the realities of future warfare.
Anders AngleseyToday10:32 BST
Keir Starmer is due to unveil the defence investment plan in the next few moments.
He will finally share details about the plan that was due to be published in the autumn of last year.
Anders AngleseyToday10:12 BST
UK economic growth has been confirmed at 0.6 per cent for the first three months of 2026, but was weaker than first thought at the end of last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The ONS left growth unrevised for the first quarter of this year, but said gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a revised 0.1 per cent at the end of 2025, against the 0.2 per cent previously recorded.
Revisions to earlier quarters in 2025 means growth over the year as a whole was 1.3 per cent, revised down from 1.4 per cent.
The UK economy grew as expected(Image: Getty Images)
Dan Jarvis, the new defence secretary, has spent his two weeks in the job “refocusing” the Dip, Downing Street said, so that it will get the “latest kit” into the hands of the armed forces.
The Defence Secretary said: “Our armed forces are serving at an increasingly dangerous and unpredictable time. We are determined to give them what they need as they serve with courage and exceptional skill to keep us safe.
“The character of warfare is rapidly changing. In Ukraine and the Middle East, uncrewed systems are defining conflicts.
“This largest ever UK investment into these evolving technologies will help our armed forces stay ahead of our adversaries, backed by the best of our defence industry.
We are giving our extraordinary people the equipment they need to fight and win.”
Britain has been closely watching the use of drones in the theatre of war in Ukraine, where some 200,000 are now used each month to defend against Russian forces, and in Iran, where around 700 drones were launched each day at the height of its war with the US and Israel.
Dan Jarvis was appointed as Defence Secretary earlier this month(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Keir Starmer will set out plans to future-proof Britain’s armed forces today after a long wrangle over funding that saw two ministers quit.
The Defence Investment Plan (Dip) was due months ago but progress stalled amid a bitter battle over cash.Expect to hear plenty about investment in drones and cutting edge technology in the plans.
But a key detail won’t be in there – when Britain will reach its target of spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence.The PM promised to hit this target in the next Parliament, which is due to start in 2029 and end in 2034.
But there has been pressure to speed this up, including from ex-Defence Secretary John Healey who wanted to hit the number by 2030.
General Sir Richard Barrons, who co-wrote the Strategic Defence Review, warns the UK is not keeping up with its allies – or its enemies on defence
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Until we come to terms with the fact that we have to find more money for defence, and yes it will be at the expense of other things we like more, we are simply not going to be ready to defend this country properly.”
Keir Starmer wants to future-proof British defence(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking ahead of the Dip’s launch, the Prime Minister said: “This game-changing investment will strengthen our armed forces on land, at sea and in the air, ensuring our servicemen and women have the cutting-edge capabilities they need to deter evolving threats and keep the British people safe.
“At the same time, we are backing British innovation, British industry and British jobs and delivering opportunity to every corner of the country.
“Today’s defence investment plan will help drive growth across the UK, giving our industrial base the confidence, certainty and support it needs to develop and scale the technologies that will keep our country safe and secure long into the future.”
Starmer said the defence plan would help keep Brits safe(Image: James Veysey/Shutterstock)
Sir Keir Starmer hailed the long-delayed plan for defence spending as a game-changing move that will keep the UK “safe and secure long into the future” as he announced it will be published on Tuesday.
The defence investment plan (Dip), originally due last year, had been held back amid wrangling within Government over the amount of money required to finance the military.Former defence secretary John Healey quit in protest over it, as he did not believe the Dip provided enough funding for the UK to transform its armed forces and meet future threats.
He also warned that the plan would likely fall short of Britain’s commitments to the Nato alliance, which has tasked all member states with hiking core defence spending to 3.5 per cent of national economic output by 2035.
Under the stewardship of new Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis, the Dip will now focus on ramping up the UK’s use of drones and autonomous weapons, funded by a £5 billion investment, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced.
He is understood to have secured some extra money for the plan, taking the full settlement to some £14.5 billion – up from the £13.5 billion offered to Mr Healey but short of the £28 billion officials previously said was needed.
Keir Starmer swill unveil the plan later today(Image: Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Dame Meg Hillier offered a warning to the current and future prime ministers to “never take your eye off the ball on defence.”
Speaking to Sky News before the defence investment plan is published later today, Dame Hillier said: “If I was to advise any prime minister, including our potential next prime minister, I’d say never take your eye off the ball on defence.
“You can’t just leave it to the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence to decide because in the end, there are going to be difficult trade-offs about defence capability, but also across public spending more generally and every prime minister should be pushing their way into that argument.
“It is too important to leave just to departments.”
Dame Meg Hillier issued the warning for prime ministers(Image: parliamentlive.tv)
The largest ever drone investment in the UK Armed Forces will create thousands of British jobs, the government said.
“Britain’s Armed Forces will be strengthened and thousands of British jobs created through a drone transformation, announced by the Prime Minister today and backed by more than £5 billion in the Government’s Defence Investment Plan,” the statement said.
The £5 billion investment will see Britain build a flexible, integrated force, according to the government.
Starmer said it would be a “game-changing investment” and would strengthen the Armed Forces.
Keir Starmer said the investment would create thousands of jobs(Image: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)
Andy Burnham, who is widely expected to become the next Labour leader and Prime Minister, will not live full-time in Number 10 Downing Street, according to reports.
Sky News understands the ex-Greater Manchester mayor will split his time between the capital and Manchester.
He could spend time in the northern city on a weekly basis and would stay at his home when there.
Andy Burnham is expected to become Labour leader and Prime Minister next month(Image: Getty Images)
Health Secretary James Murray said the findings in a damning report into maternity services were “shocking, but it’s not surprising.”
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “I think that the sort of systemic failings in maternity services are something which I know is there. I can feel it, I can see it.
“And Baroness Amos’s report lays bare those facts, in the most upsetting but deliberate fashion, in saying, ‘look, this is something we have to we have to address’.”
When later challenged that he might not be health secretary in the near future, Murray added: “When I was speaking in parliament last week… there was a strong sense from the opposition as well that they were supporting it. So there is a real feeling of need for action.”
Murray said there was a “real feeling of need for action”(Image: WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Keir Starmer will seek to shore up his position on defending Britain’s security in one of his final speeches before his expected departure from No10 on July 20.
He is expected to address the nation from around 10:30am.
Andy Burnham – who is expected to succeed Mr Starmer as PM – has reportedly seen the plan and has approved it. Downing Street has not confirmed this however it has said access talks between Labour leadership candidates and government departments can begin to start a smooth transition. Mr Burnham is currently the only candidate.
Mr Burnham – the ex-Greater Manchester mayor – set out some of his economic plans in a speech to the nation yesterday. Read more about it here.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will step down as Prime Minister(Image: Brook Mitchell/PA Wire)