It’s obvious to anyone who watches the news that this country faces growing threats to our security, more serious and less predicable than at any time in a generation. Russian aggression is increasing, cyber-attacks strike the UK every day and war continues in Europe. It’s clear that the world is changing, so defence must too – and I’m proud that the government is responding accordingly.
That’s why at the end of the February, the government announced the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, rising to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with an additional £5 billion for defence this year and a stated ambition to hit 3% of GDP on defence in the next parliament.
And it’s why last week, the government – ably led by John Healey, Secretary of State for Defence – has also published its root-and-branch Strategic Defence Review to make Britain’s armed forces stronger and the people of Britain safer.
During the austerity years, our armed forces were underfunded and hollowed out. The army employed nearly 110,000 people in 2010 and this has been reduced to a target of 73,000 in 2025. In 2010, the Royal Air Force employed almost 44,000 personnel, reduced to less than 31,000 in 2025. In an age of peace, this may have been acceptable … but as with so many decisions from 2010 onwards, it was a short-term decision to save money, an unforgivable act of national self-harm, which will ultimately cost the country more to ‘build back better’ (ironically, a Conservative slogan from the Johnson era).
Through the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), the government will now start to reverse this hollowing out and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve. That’s why we have awarded the largest pay rise to service personnel in 20 years; are establishing a new independent Armed Force Commissioner to improve service life; and are spending an extra £1.5 billion – a record uplift – to fix substandard forces housing.
Increased defence spend can be an engine for growth across the East Midlands and beyond, and through the SDR, we will ensure that the benefits are felt by people up and down Britain. We have already seen this locally with the £9 billion, eight-year contract awarded to Rolls-Royce based in Derby. The company will support the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet which will create and maintain 5,000 long-term jobs, including some for people who choose to live in nearby Rushcliffe.
The government plans to build at least six new munitions factories and 7,000 more long-range weapons here in the UK, creating 1,800 highly-skilled jobs across the country. It will also expand the UK’s attack submarine programme, building up to 12 new attack subs as part of the AUKUS programme; and will make a £15 billion investment in our sovereign warhead programme during this parliament, supporting 9,000 jobs.
Anyone who has contacted me about international development cuts will know that I don’t think that cutting this particular budget to pay for defence was the best choice. Yes, the money has to be found somewhere but defence, diplomacy and development work in harmony, with the latter helping to reduce the much higher costs of conflict where diplomacy and development haven’t succeeded. As a member of the International Development Committee, I will continue to make the case for recognising the long-term consequences for the UK of underinvestment in poorer nations, especially in the context of climate change.
Nonetheless, last week’s SDR sets a new vision for the defence of the UK and is a welcome part of the government’s drive for national renewal. It is a landmark shift in our deterrence and defence capability; will strengthen our leadership within Nato; and will put the men and women of our armed forces at the heart of an evolving service, fit for the 21st century.
We live in a new era of geopolitical threats – and as a result, we need a new era for UK defence. New jobs, apprenticeships and businesses will be created as a result, meaning towns and villages locally will also benefit. This is positive news, and shows how we can simultaneously make Britain both more secure at home and strong abroad.
