UK’s £75,000,000,000 defence boost in face of threats from Russia and China

Rishi Sunak has promised to spend an extra £75 billion on defence over the next six years to put the UK on ‘war footing’ as global tensions heat up.

The Prime Minister said the UK will spend 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2030 because the world was ‘the most dangerous it has been since the end of the Cold War’.

This re-commits to a target set by former prime minister Boris Johnson in 2022 and firms up Mr Sunak’s own stance on the defence budget.

Mr Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt have come under increasing pressure to boost spending from some Tories, including former prime minister Liz Truss, who has pushed for a 3% commitment at a time when Vladimir Putin’s Russia is waging war on a European neighbour.