Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering delaying a long-awaited review of defence spending despite repeated warnings that NATO countries including the UK could find themselves in open conflict with Russia. The Prime Minister could delay a spending review until the autumn of 2027, it has been revealed.
Tory shadow defence ministers branded Mr Burnham a threat to national security at their party conference. Shadow defence minister Mark Francois said the Labour leader is “an extremely inexperienced prime minister with no track record at all of ever having had any kind of interest in defence. Labour has a real weakness in this area, and our opponents know this”.
Spending Plans and NATO Targets
The spending review will set out spending plans up to 2030, and ministers have said it will explain how the UK plans to meet the NATO target of spending 3.5% of GDP on defence. The review was expected in the spring, but The Times reports that Mr Burnham is considering delaying the statement until later in the year in the hope that the economy will improve.
Britain is facing inflation and interest rate increases next year, and the Prime Minister hopes to introduce measures to help voters with the cost of living.
Defence Secretary's Timetable
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting set out the timetable for announcements in September, when he said: “There should be no doubt about the Chancellor’s commitment to investing in our defence: funding the defence investment plan commitments agreed, but not yet funded, at the Budget – and setting out the path to both 3% and 3.5% at the spending review.”
Delaying the spending review until later in 2027 would allow it to be held alongside the Budget, opening the possibility of announcing tax increases to fund additional spending. However, it would also highlight the long delay in making a decision, as the 2026 Budget has not yet been presented and is due on October 28.
Security Concerns and Conservative Response
British intelligence believes that there could be an attack by Russia on NATO as soon as 2030, former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer revealed earlier this year. John Healey, the Chancellor in Andy Burnham's Cabinet, resigned as defence secretary earlier this year in protest at delays in increasing defence funding.
Conservatives are focusing on defence at their annual conference in Birmingham, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch announcing plans for a weapons system to defend Britain against long-range missiles and drones. To be called the “Britannia Shield”, it has been compared to Israel’s “Iron Dome” defence system.
The Israeli system can shoot down short-range rockets fired from up to 70km away, while Britain and other European countries face the combined threat of long-range missiles from Russia and surprise drone attacks. The so-called Britannia Shield would provide a network of radar and command-and-control systems to detect incoming threats, along with interceptor missiles and counter-drone capabilities, the Conservatives said.
