Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Independent Bulletin homepage

Social Partner

We are 8 logo (opens in a new tab)

Starmer has ‘serious questions to answer’ on defence spending uplift

Sir Keir Starmer meets British soldiers at Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire where he saw Ukranian soldiers being trained by the army as part of Operation Interflux. Picture date: Wednesday August 24, 2022 — Sir Keir Starmer meets British soldiers at Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire where he saw Ukranian soldiers being trained by the army as part of Operation Interflux. Picture date: Wednesday August 24, 2022 (PA)

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing criticism over his announced defense spending increase, with accusations of misleading figures.
Starmer pledged to raise the defense budget from 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP, claiming an extra £13.4 billion annually.
However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) countered, stating the real increase is closer to £6 billion per year.
Defense Secretary John Healey later conceded the actual figure is "something over £6 billion," attributing the discrepancy to different calculation methods.
The opposition and the IFS have accused Starmer of playing "silly games with numbers" and using inconsistent figures.

Starmer accused of fiddling the figures on defence spend increase — In full