See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 12:33 BST, 1 June 2026 | Updated: 12:36 BST, 1 June 2026
More than half of Brits back higher defence spending as pressure mounts on Keir Starmer.A YouGov poll found 56 per cent of Brits want higher investment, with just 26 per cent saying the level should remain the same and 6 per cent lower.There was strong support for a rise across the main parties, with an increase even the preferred option for 30 per cent of Green voters - although 28 per cent said it should be held and 16 per cent cut.However, the figures suggest the public is unwilling to foot the bill personally. When supporters of an increase were asked what measures they supported to find funding, there was a net positive score of 43 for top-rate taxpayers bearing the burden. Lifting the higher rate had a score of 20, while cutting welfare for the jobless rated at 36 and curbing spending on renewable energy infrastructure 15. A YouGov poll found 56 per cent of Brits want higher investment, with just 26 per cent saying the level should remain the same and 6 per cent lower The poll - carried out at the end of April - was released as ministers continue to wrangle over how to fill an estimated £28billion hole in the defence budget for the next four yearsAll the other measures listed in the poll had negative scores. That included minus 28 for raising the basic rate of tax, minus 48 for freezing the state pension level, and minus 66 for reducing spending on the NHS. The poll - carried out at the end of April - was released as ministers continue to wrangle over how to fill an estimated £28billion hole in the defence budget for the next four years.The Treasury has been trying to limit how much extra cash it has to find, despite growing alarm at the threats facing the country.There had been briefings the long-awaited defence investment plan might finally be released this week as the Commons returns from recess.However, Government sources have played down the prospect of an announcement.Nato officials have been voicing concern that the package will not be ready in time for a summit in July - when Donald Trump is set to up pressure on the alliance. When supporters of an increase were asked what measures they supported to find funding, there was a net positive score of 43 for top-rate taxpayers bearing the burdenTensions have been building after the US president criticised partners for refusing to back his war against Iran.The Government has pledged to increase defence spending to 2.7 per cent of GDP from next year, rising to 3.5 per cent by 2035 in response to an increasingly volatile geopolitical climate.Lord George Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary and one of the authors of the Strategic Defence Review, used a lecture last month to hit out at the Government's 'corrosive complacency' on defence spending and accused the Prime Minister of being unwilling to 'make the necessary investment'.
