The Commons: Britain’s Defense Dilemma

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Britain has always prided itself on the strength and might of its military. Even with the relatively small population of the United Kingdom, the country still has one of the strongest militaries.

However, there have been recent calls by ministers to increase the funding to the Ministry of Defense. In the financial year of 2022/23, Defense spending by the U.K. government was around “£54.8 billion”, which totaled nearly 6% of government spending in that year.

In an era of heightened global tensions, Defense has seemingly become an important area to focus on with many key political figures across different parties in Westminster calling for an increase in the budget for the Ministry of Defense.

MPs in the Public Accounts Committee, which include Conservative, Labor, and Liberal Democrats, have argued the lack of planning over funding for the Defense has “undermined the credibility of Britain’s armed forces”.

These latest comments by MPs on the committee have heightened the calls for the Defense Department to increase its budget, with ministers over the past week backing the statements that were made by the Public Accounts Committee.

Worries over the funding capabilities of the Ministry of Defense are not new. In 2023, the National Audit Office published a report on the ‘equipment plan’ for the department and found that for the next decade, their “forecast costs exceed the current budget by £16.9 billion”.

This essentially means there is a £16.9 billion gap between what the Ministry of Defense wants and what is available to them. This is a major issue for the department as many of their projected costs are to keep up the modernization of their forces, which they would be unable to do without adequate support.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, has committed to increase spending on defense to around 2.5% of GDP. However, Hunt has stated that this will only occur when “economic conditions allow”.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat and Defense Minster Grant Shapps are the two cabinet ministers who are pushing the government to raise the spending threshold to a higher limit. They have repeatedly mentioned their concerns with the current budget and have consistently urged the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to act accordingly.

It was also revealed that the Ministry of Defense had to pursue an “emergency cash payment of £3.2bn” as a result of stretched services in Yemen as well as the continued funding of Ukraine in their war against Russia.

Britain has continuously been a major funder of Ukraine throughout their conflict with Russia and has repeatedly reiterated their desire to help Kyiv during their tough times. However, this ongoing funding of Ukraine for over two years could lead to questions by the British taxpayer.

The current cost of living crisis since the start of the global pandemic in 2020 has meant Britons across the United Kingdom have had to struggle to adjust to their current economic conditions. But, the amount of money used on defense equipment could lead to increased probing of Rishi Sunak and the government over their priorities.

The rise of China alongside the added threat of Russia with their ongoing conflict with Ukraine means that the geopolitical state of the world is very uncertain, and this could be seen as a major factor for Grant Shapps and Tom Tugendhat demanding more funding to protect Britain.

Shapps has even called for a 3% increase in defense spending, which is 0.5% higher than Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s conditional pledge. The Defense Minister has called for this percentage to be included in the “Conservatives’ election manifesto” and has called for more action from the government over the defense budget.

On the opposing side, the Chair of the Labor Party Anneliese Dodds was asked about her views on the current budget for defense in the UK and stated that the party was “really concerned about the situation”.

This could further enhance the pressure on the Conservatives to provide more support to the Ministry of Defense as a result of the cross-party support for more action in this field.

With the general election looming, it is clear to see that defense will be a key talking point, especially with the Ukraine-Russia conflict entering its third year. Questions will be asked of both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer over their approach to spending.