Richard Drax, MP for South Dorset has commended and congratulated Defence Secretary Grant Shapps for his ‘stalwart stubbornness’ in getting defence spending increased to 2.5 percent of the national income.
The increase follows intense lobbying by Mr Shapps, who has long warned that we are living in an ‘increasingly dangerous world.’ The defence budget will now receive an additional £75 billion by 2030, putting the country on what Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described today as a ‘war footing.’
The rise will start immediately and rise steadily, confirming the UK as the biggest defence spender in Europe, second only to the US in NATO.
Describing the increase as, ‘so important,’ during Mrs Shapps’ statement in the chamber, Drax said, ‘he and I both know that a lot more is needed but this is a step in the right direction.’
He added, ‘he’s off shortly to meet NATO members…if you look at the straits of Hormuz, one of the only trade routes for NATO and the West, only two NATO members are actually prepared to open fire on the Houthis…does he feel there’s a lot of work to do to make (NATO members) step up to make them spend 2.5% on defence, as they should do and as we are going to do?’
The new defence funding plan will have three areas of focus; firing up the UK defence industrial base by investing at least an additional £10 billion over the next decade; modernising the Armed Forces, radically reforming defence procurement and creating a new Defence Innovation Agency, spending at least 5% of the defence budget on research and development; and backing Ukraine’s defence for as long as it is needed.