Historic £24bn investment in UK defence industry launched

In a speech to Parliament he will set out a £16.5 billion increase above the manifesto commitment over four years

This spending increase recognises the need for UK defence to undertake a generational modernisation programme in order to defend the UK, allies and the world’s most vulnerable people.

Mr Johnson said: “I have taken this decision in the teeth of the pandemic because the defence of the realm must come first.

“The international situation is more perilous and more intensely competitive than at any time since the Cold War and Britain must be true to our history and stand alongside our allies. To achieve this we need to upgrade our capabilities across the board.

“This is our chance to end the era of retreat, transform our Armed Forces, bolster our global influence, unite and level up our country, pioneer new technology and defend our people and way of life.

The Government has already pledged to increase defence spending by 0.5% above inflation for every year of this parliament. On existing forecasts, this is an overall cash increase of £24.1 billion over four years compared to last year’s budget.

It will also cement the UK’s position as the largest defence spender in Europe and the second largest in NATO.

The commitment will allow the government to invest in cutting-edge technology, positioning the UK as a global leader in domains such as cyber and space and addressing weaknesses in its defence arsenal.

To support these advancements the prime minister will also announce a new agency dedicated to artificial intelligence, the creation of a National Cyber Force to protect people from harm and a new Space Command, capable of launching its first rocket in 2022.

This will be underpinned by a record investment of at least £1.5 billion extra and £5.8 billion total on military R&D and a commitment to invest further in the Future Combat Air System. This reverses the systematic decline in this crucial area in the last 30 years, creating new advances which surmount the old limits of logistics and go beyond military use with a vast number of civilian applications such as autonomous vehicles and aviation.

These projects are expected to create up to 10,000 thousand jobs annually across the UK. These will reflect the expertise and ingenuity of British people both inside and outside our Armed Forces, harnessing the UK’s skills in construction and science and reinvigorating those industries in the coming decades.

MoD www.gov.uk/mod