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Starmer unveils £15 billion Defence Investment Plan

newsJun 30, 202625390

Prime Minister Keir Starmer published a long-delayed, ten-year Defence Investment Plan that adds £15 billion to UK defence spending and prioritises drones, artificial intelligence and F-35 capability. The plan directs roughly £5 billion specifically toward drone programs, with ministers saying Ukraine’s monthly drone campaign informed the shift; Tim Willasey-Wilsey of RUSI said, “They are showing us how war should be fought.” The government says the wider package will modernise forces and help deliver almost £300 billion in defence funding over the next four years. The plan includes a shipbuilding element that will deliver at least six Common Combat Vessels as part of a move toward a so-called hybrid navy. New defence secretary Dan Jarvis is reported to have secured an extra £1.5 billion for the DIP, and officials say money was reallocated to meet priorities after internal wrangling over an £18 billion funding gap that contributed to his predecessor’s exit. The document had been delayed amid those funding disputes and is presented as the government’s answer to rising threats from Russia and Iran, with ministers framing the investment as a reconfiguration of capabilities rather than a pure increase in headcount or conventional platforms.

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