UK’s Starmer announces 300-billion-pound defence investment plan

Plan includes more than 5 billion pounds for drones and autonomous systems over four years, Ministry of Defence says.Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that Britain will spend almost 300 billion pounds ($397bn) over the next four years to modernise its armed forces amid rising threats.Starmer, expected to leave office next month after losing the support of Labour MPs, announced on Tuesday that the overall defence budget would increase by 15 billion pounds ($20bn) over the next four years to almost 300 billion pounds as he launched his long-awaited defence investment plan.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3The next British PM should steer clear of Starmer’s shameful legacylist 2 of 3Iran accuses NATO of ‘complicity’ in US war: What role did EU nations play?list 3 of 3Burnham pledges devolution and discipline if he becomes UK prime ministerend of list“Last year I made the decision in the national interest to reprioritise aid spending towards defence and achieved the biggest uplift in defence spending since the end of the Cold War,” Starmer said.“That was the right choice because the world has changed. National security is economic security.“Today we uplift defence spending further – an additional 15 billion pounds worth of funding – by … reprioritising spending across government.”The plan includes more than 5 billion pounds ($6.6bn) for drones and autonomous systems over the next four years, the Ministry of Defence said in a news release.The announcement followed months of wrangling within Starmer’s Labour government over the resources required to modernise the United Kingdom’s armed forces in the face of rising threats, including from Russia.Two defence ministers quit this month in a row over the spending proposals, including Defence Secretary John Healey, who said the plans risked making Britain “less safe”.Starmer’s pledge came as United States President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged NATO allies to spend more on defence and become less reliant on Washington for security.