Keir Starmer says goodbye with more weapons and less civil infrastructure

LondonKeir Starmer bids farewell to Downing Street by allocating more money for weapons than for fixing roads and promoting energy projects. It is the last major political act of a prime minister on the verge of leaving office, after announcing his resignation nine days ago, cornered by party colleagues who had lost confidence in the man who led them to electoral victory just two years ago.

Starmer, in any case, is attempting to reach next week's NATO summit with a message of unequivocal commitment to Western rearmament. In presenting the new defense investment plan this Tuesday, the still-Labour leader has pledged to mobilize an additional 15 billion pounds over the next four years, funded, in large part, by cutting or postponing planned investments in civil infrastructure.

The decision comes after eleven months of internal disputes over the military budget. The battle with the Treasury led to the resignation of the former Defence Secretary, John Healey, and exposed the tensions between the government's social priorities and the growing security demands stemming from the war in Ukraine. Not to mention the pressure from the United States on its European allies. Despite the new figure, Healey continues to maintain this Tuesday that the budget is insufficient.

Starmer has argued that the United Kingdom has no alternative. "Some road and energy projects are important, but not immediately vital," he stated, to justify diverting these resources towards defence. The government has also admitted that the rehabilitation program for over 40,000 military homes, valued at 9 billion pounds, will be slowed down. All to focus on investment for new operational capabilities.

The new plan will raise British military spending from the 2.6% of GDP forecast for 2027 to 2.7% in 2030. The equivalent figure represents almost 80 billion pounds annually. Starmer maintains that this places the country "on track" to reach 3% during the next parliamentary term. In any case, it is far from the 5% that Donald Trump's United States arbitrarily demands from NATO allies.

The main item corresponds to the renewal of nuclear deterrence. London will invest 47 billion pounds in the Dreadnought-class atomic submarines, intended to replace the current Trident-class ones, and in the development of the future AUKUS attack submarine, shared with Australia and the United States. To this amount, 13 billion are added to develop a new nuclear warhead, 1.7 billion to guarantee the supply of military nuclear fuel, and the purchase from the United States of a dozen F-35A fighter jets with the capacity to carry nuclear weapons.

5 billion for drones

The modernization of combat aviation will also absorb a significant part of the resources: 8.6 billion will be allocated to the GCAP program, the sixth-generation fighter jointly developed with Italy and Japan, while 1.1 billion will serve to extend the operational life of the Eurofighter Typhoon until the 2040s. The government also decisively opts for unmanned systems. Investment in drones will increase to 5 billion pounds, one billion more than initially planned, with aerial, land, naval, and submarine vehicles intended to operate jointly with soldiers, ships, and combat aircraft.

To contain the cost of the program, the Ministry of Defence promises to obtain 10.7 billion in savings through a 10% reduction in civil servants, cuts in external consultancies, and the early withdrawal of some equipment, such as the army's Wildcat helicopters.

Despite the announcement of the extra 15 billion, the army considers that the resources remain insufficient. Defence had requested an additional 28 billion, almost double what Starmer finally granted. Politically, however, the prime minister was especially looking to present himself to NATO allies having secured an increase in military spending that would strengthen British credibility before handing over power to his successor, Andy Burnham.