Prime Minister Boris Johnson today announced the biggest investment in British defence since the end of the Cold War. In total, the military will now see a cash increase of £24.1bn over the next four years.
This will allow us to undertake a generational modernisation programme and upgrade our defence arsenal to meet today's threats.
Today, we face an international situation that is more perilous and more intensely competitive than at any time since the Cold War. Britain must continue to be true to our history and stand alongside her allies, while safeguarding the security and prosperity of our nation. That's why we will invest an additional £24.1bn over the next four years, helping to create 10,000 new jobs a year, revitalise British shipbuilding, and ensure the United Kingdom is a global, outward-looking nation now that we have left the EU.
This is our chance to end the era of retreat, bolster our global influence, while creating thousands of jobs to level up opportunities across the whole United Kingdom.
- This commitment is the largest investment in our nations defence since the end of the Cold War, giving our defence budget an extra £24.1bn over the next four years.
- Spending on defence projects, secured with this funding, is expected to create up to 40,000 jobs over four years. This will reflect the expertise and ingenuity of British people both inside and outside our Armed Forces, harnessing the U.K.'s skills in construction in science and reinvigorating those industries in the coming decades.
- This funding both delivers and surpasses our manifesto commitment to exceed the NATO defence spending target of 2% of GDP, by providing an extra £16.5 billion in funding above our 2019 manifesto commitment.
- This funding has come alongside a steadfast commitment to finance the UK's order of 8 Type 26 and 5 Type 31 frigates, which are currently being constructed on the Clyde, creating thousands of jobs.
- A new Cyber Force will be a joint unit between the MOD and GCHQ, which will help to protect Britons at home from cyber attack but will also deploy offensive capabilities against adversaries.
- We promised in our manifesto that we would deliver the UK's first UK Space Command based at RAF High Wycombe. Space command will give the UK the capability to deploy weapons and military satellites without relying on other nations.