Starmer vows to boost defence spending to 2.5pc if Labour wins election

Labour will aim to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP if the party wins the election, Sir Keir Starmer has vowed.

It is the first time the opposition leader has said he wishes to spend that amount on the military, which would match the Government’s existing aim.

In an interview with the i newspaper, he indicated defence was “the number one issue for any government” and admitted a more dangerous world made it necessary to spend more on the armed forces.

However he said Labour will only spend the extra money if doing so is achievable within the party’s borrowing rules.

Sir Keir will also double down on the party’s commitment to Britain’s nuclear deterrent when he visits Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, where nuclear submarines are made, on Friday.

He is announcing a new “triple lock” commitment, which proposes that a future Labour government would build at least four new nuclear submarines at Barrow, keep the continuous at-sea deterrent and fund any future upgrades needed to the fleet.

He told the newspaper: “On defence spending, obviously we want to get to 2.5 per cent as soon as resources allow that to happen.

“That was the position when Labour left government and we absolutely stand by our commitment to Nato.”

Speaking of the triple lock commitment in a separate article for the Daily Mail, he wrote: “First, we will make a cast-iron commitment to build all four new Dreadnought nuclear subs here in the UK, in Barrow-in-Furness. British investment, supporting skilled British jobs and boosting British communities.

“Second, we will pledge to maintain Britain’s continuous at sea nuclear deterrent. Backing our brave submariners who sacrifice a normal life to keep us safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“Third, we’ll promise to deliver all future upgrades needed. We’ll ensure our nuclear deterrent is properly equipped and armed to face the challenges of the decades to come.

“Make no mistake, this is a generational, multi-decade commitment. Not only is this about defending our land and our Nato allies, it’s also defending our economy – prioritising British jobs, British skills and much-needed economic growth here on our shores.”

It is a deliberate contrast to the policy of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, who has repeatedly called for Britain’s nuclear arsenal to be scrapped.

All Nato members have a target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence.

The UK now spends just under 2.25 per cent after an uplift following the outbreak of the full-blown war in Ukraine, but many European countries have been criticised for not meeting the target two years on from Russia’s invasion of the country.

The Government has said it would like to boost spending to 2.5 per cent but Conservative backbenchers have pressed for a firm timeline, and Sir Keir’s decision to match the Tory policy is expected to increase pressure on Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt to go further.

Responding to Labour’s commitment on the nuclear deterrence, Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said: “Sir Keir Starmer and John Healey tried twice to put Jeremy Corbyn in charge of the nation’s armed forces.

“The same man who wanted to scrap our nuclear deterrent, dismantle Nato and questioned the integrity of the British intelligence community.

“Labour’s shadow Foreign Secretary even voted repeatedly to scrap Trident. They are not the party to be trusted with our nation’s defences.”