Image source, Getty Images

The UK's defence budget is being boosted "faster than any other major government department", the chancellor has said.

Speaking in a social media update after this morning's news conference, Rachel Reeves says that the demands on UK defence are "growing".

She repeats comments from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis that the country is "learning the lessons" of drone warfare from the war in Ukraine, adding that £400m will be spent on setting up a military defence system with partners.

The chancellor says: "UK security is our number one priority and this money will ensure that the UK can fight the wars of tomorrow, not the past."

Unshackled Starmer begins to reflect on his legacypublished at 12:46 BST

12:46 BST

Chris Mason
Political editor in Berkshire

Image source, Reuters

Hello from the drone manufacturing site in Berkshire where the prime minister has been speaking.

We are surrounded by the latest extraordinary aircraft — drones — some of which will soon be deployed in Ukraine.

A few things stand out to me from the prime minister:

The government has managed to find an extra £15bn in the last few weeks for its defence investment plan.

That in itself is quite something — we await the precise trade offs to explain how that was possible and why it took the resignation of the previous defence secretary John Healey to make it happen.

The other thing that struck me is this: the prime minister is quite a buttoned up character in public, but I could detect today a sense of unshackling, a sense of perspective, a sense that he wants to reflect in public on what he’s managed to achieve, and not, in office.

And — as he has regularly reflected — the brutal trade offs that confront any prime minister — and particularly so in an era of low economic growth, a high average tax burden, spiralling benefits bill and demands for vastly more for defence.

Squaring those circles isn’t remotely easy. Note how disparaging he was of the Liberal Democrat plan for defence bonds — which he dismissed as more borrowing ‘on the never never.’

The subtext to it all was this is mighty difficult — and it’ll soon, in all likelihood, be for Andy Burnham to wrestle with.

Image source, Getty Images

Today's defence investment plan will be backed by £298bn of funding over the next four years, the Ministry of Defence has said, with key projects including:

• Over £8bn which will go towards the global combat air programme, building a new stealth fighter jet alongside Japan and Italy
• More than £63bn on strengthening the UK's nuclear deterrent, including funding submarines, a new warhead and 12 F35A fighter jets
• £26bn on Project Royal Oak, aimed at upgrading UK naval bases including those at Faslane, Portsmouth and Devonport
• Over £5bn on drone transformation, including £650m towards autonomous systems such as drones and uncrewed ground vehicles
• Nearly £2bn for integrating the armed forces through the new digital targeting web framework, for destroying identified targets faster
• £790m on greater protection for UK homeland and overseas bases from threats, as well as a new defence operations centre, expanded counter drone systems, directed energy weapons investments and upgraded missiles for Type 45 destroyers
• £11bn on increased weapons stockpiles including long-range strike weapons, cruise missiles and one-way effectors. The MoD says it will have built at least six new energetics factories by 2030
• £900m of spending is on efficiency and reform procurement, including £500m on improving AI and workforce transformation productivity and £400m on setting up the multilateral defence mechanism
• £100m on the prime minister’s rapid AI delivery taskforce, as well as a further £115m on raising the UK's defences against AI threats

Thorny trade-offs for Starmer will be waiting for his successor toopublished at 12:00 BST

12:00 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

We knew before Starmer spoke what the reaction to his speech would be from most rival political parties and leading defence figures, as well as some within the Labour fold: that this is not enough funding given the scale of the threat the UK faces.

Starmer nodded to the possibility that his successor may well have to come back before long with more defence spending when speaking about how this was a platform to be built on.

Throughout there was an implicit acknowledgement of the unusual reality that he is the prime minister unveiling this significant amount of defence spending but will not be the one to deliver it.

The PM also talked about the trade-offs of defence spending and how he has cut capital spending from other departments to spend money on defence. But he said that he did not want to cut spending on day-to-day public services, ie schools and hospitals.

This was an argument made by some government sources off the record in the aftermath of John Healey’s resignation, now made explicit.

Those are the thorny trade-offs that are going to be in Andy Burnham's in-tray before long.

Image source, Reuters

• The prime minister announced an additional £15bn in funding for defence
• In his speech, Keir Starmer said some road and energy projects will be scrapped to fund it
• He went on to say by 2029, almost £80bn per year will be spent on defence
• Starmer said the defence investment plan will "make the British people safer" and "drive a generational transformation" of the armed forces
• The motto for defence procurement, he said, will be "back British", saying the plan will create "almost 60,000 jobs"
• Talking about a more "European Nato", Starmer announced an £8.6bn investment in building fighter jets with Italy and Japan

Finally, Starmer is asked whether it is realistic to expect the UK to meet Donald Trump's target for Nato members to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035.

The prime minister says he spoke to the US president about the wars in Ukraine and Iran at the recent G7 summit, and to Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary-general, about the defence investment plan during a meeting at No 10 yesterday.

Referencing the 5% commitment by 2035, Starmer says the plan takes the UK to 4.2% of GDP on defence and national security - 0.8 per cent below the target, which was announced by Trump at Nato last year.

"I'll be very pleased to report that back to colleagues at Nato next week, they'll be very pleased to discuss that with us and I'm proud of the record I stand on in relation to defence and security as I go into that summit," Starmer says.

And with that he finishes his remarks and exits the stage. We'll bring you a recap of what was said shortly.

The prime minister is now asked about reports than £9bn set aside to improve military housing has now been reallocated to the defence investment plan itself, and is asked what his message is to military personnel.

Starmer says he is "proud" that his government has put "a lot of money into military housing" and wages.

He says the government will continue to support military personnel, but says that needs to be balanced "against investment in military capability that we need".

Image source, Reuters

It's put to Starmer that some former military chiefs and experts are arguing that the extra money for defence is not enough.

Starmer responds by saying the government's plans equate to the "highest sustained increase" since the Cold War.

"That's nearly half a century, the biggest sustained increase for nearly half a century.. that is a huge step forward," he says.

He adds that the plan has been "sharpened" even in recent weeks.

He says he respects those with "great experience" that do not believe the funding is enough, but says "there will always be those that say, whatever the sum is frankly, it's not enough".

He says it's his job to get it right, and says he is 100% confident in the plan.

Starmer is now asked whether Andy Burnham has seen the defence investment plan.

He avoids answering the question directly and says the plan sets out the capabilities of the UK military, what they will be and how they will be costed.

He says this is something any Labour prime minister would want to stand behind, and adds he will ensure the transition is "orderly".

Starmer is asked about the delays to the defence investment plan and how important Andy Burnham will be to its future - and if Burnham, likely to be the next PM, has given assurances on funding.

Starmer says "a test of any prime minister is if they leave the country in a better state than they've found it".

He says that is "undoubtedly the case" on the economy, public services and defence.

He adds this isn't just "measured" by money, but also that "other countries" look to the UK as "a leader in defence and security".

Starmer says for the future, he has "no doubt" that Labour will have a "number one committment" to defence and security.

The BBC's political editor Chris Mason asks Starmer about comments by Gen Sir Richard Barrons, who told BBC this morning that Britain is not keeping up with its allies or enemies in terms of defence capabilities.

Starmer says his government inherited an Army that was "hollowed out" and highlights his decision to boost defence spending prior to today's defence investment plan.

He says a further £15bn has been invested as part of today's plan before acknowledging that there "will always be those that argue that even more should be spent".

"I have to make the right judgements on the capabilities that I think is right for our country to meet the threats, not just of today but of tomorrow, and that is what this defence investment plan does," Starmer says.

"This is a massive step forward," he adds.

We're now moving on to questions, and the PM is asked if the plan contains enough to, by 2023, deter a fight with Russia, and win a conflict were there to be one.

"Yes I can," he says, "because of the increase in defence spending in place, announced last year" and the plan today building on that.

"We've learnt a lot from Ukraine, and Iran as well about the capability that is needed in order to confront countries like Russia," he says.

Starmer adds he's also confident because the UK is "working with our European allies".

"The UK needs to show a leadership role to be a trusted ally" he says, adding "I believe we have built that."

Starmer concludes his speech by saying he knows "we will continue to rise to this moment, not just to weather the coming storms, but to use this moment to reach to a better future".

He says the defence investment plan is "decisive step" towards reaching that goal.

The prime minister then moves on to questions from reporters who are in attendance in Berkshire.

The PM says supporting Ukraine is the "right" and "just" thing to do, and that the outcome of the war will "shape our lives for decades to come".

If Russia is to win, Starmer says, Putin "would not stop there, but turn his gaze to other allies".

He says Ukraine is "holding strong", increasingly pushing Russia back, and says this is the moment to "ramp up the pressure" by continuing to back Ukraine.

He says the government's defence investment plan will maintain the UK's support for Ukraine in full.

Image source, Reuters

Starmer says the defence investment plan will allow the UK to strengthen its international leadership and "build a more European Nato".

This is not to the exclusion of the US but to strengthen the transatlantic alliance "which keeps our country safe", he adds.

Starmer says the UK is already developing precision strike weapons with Germany, building frigates with Norway to hunt Russian submarines, but will go further will the defence investment plan.

He also announces there will be a £8.6bn investment in building fighter jets under a programme with Italy and Japan that will "secure our skies for decades to come".

The UK will also bring its investment in renewing the nuclear deterrent to £64bn, Starmer adds.

Starmer says defence spending plans will enhance the economy, by creating "almost 60,000 jobs".

The motto is to "back British", he says.

He says they will bring start-ups into the defence supply chain, which "pays off in every region and every community".

"The fact is defence jobs are different. They are high skilled, well paid. They offer career paths, training and a greater sense of meaning," Starmer says.

He announces they will be creating a new "£50bn defence export facility", which Starmer describes as a "once in a generation boost".

Starmer says the defence investment plan will deliver change for Britain in three primary ways.

He says the plan will "make the British people safer" by reversing the cuts of recent years and rebuilding ammunition stockpiles, ensuring the UK is "better prepared to win".

The plan will also "drive a generational transformation of our armed forces," Starmer says, adding that the military will be modernised off the back of lessons learned in Ukraine.

The prime minister confirms that more than £5bn will be invested into drone technology - "the largest ever UK investement in this technology".

He also says the UK will build a "hybrid navy," meaning that when British frigates move to intercept a threat to British interests, like a Russian ship, "they will do so with outriders, uncrewed ships above and below the surface".

Starmer says this will be joined by the next generation of the RAF, highlighting Typhoons flying with autonomous wingmen, making them "invisible" to enemy detection.

He goes on to say that the Army will be "10 times more lethal", highlighting further investment in one-way attack drones, long-range missiles, armoured vehicles, and counter drone defence systems.

Starmer says the government is already delivering the "biggest sustained increase" in defence spending since the 1980s.

He then announces that under the defence investment plan, the government is increasing defence funding "by a further £15bn, setting a new record".

He says the previous government spent £54bn on defence per year before his government took office, which he says is being increased to "almost £80bn" per year by 2029.

"That is a real terms increase of 27%," he says.

Starmer says at last year's Nato summit he committed to spending 5% of GDP on "wider security", which also includes energy security and critical infrastructure, and says the DIP "takes us to 4.2% under that commitment".

He says that in the past military spending has been seen as a "bottomless pit", and adds "this time must be different, we can't just spend more we have to spend better".

Image source, PA Media

Starmer says that increasing defence spending through borrowing would push interest rates higher.

"Defence bonds are just borrowing by another name," he says.

He adds the government has fought hard to bring public finances "under control" and should not "sacrifice that now".

Starmer says strong public finances are a "fundamental part" of the UK's strength, and the nation will be poorer and less secure if it loses control of them. Slash funding for public services in favour of defence "and we would be fundamentally weaker as a nation", he says.

He says there are "no easy answers" but the defence investment plan is the "right choice for the country".

The PM goes on to say that some road and energy projects that are not "immediately vital" would be scrapped to pay for increased defence spending.

The plan 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 adds.

The defence investment plan "delivers on last year's review", Starmer says.

In a rapidly changing world, it goes "further", he adds.

Starmer thanks the defence secretary, chiefs of defence and chancellor for their work to "sharpen and strengthen the plan in recent weeks".

"So we can set out today how we can transform our armed services," the prime minister says.

He continues and says the plan "represents our best judgement of what the country needs to meet this moment, and it is a platform on which I know my successor will build".

Starmer adds this plan is "costed" by examining the defence budget "line by line".