Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been criticised for delaying the plan
The UK will unveil its long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) on Tuesday, setting out new military spending priorities just a week before NATO allies gather in Ankara to assess plans to meet the alliance’s 3.5% of GDP defence spending target by 2035.
The postponed DIP accelerated the collapse of the current Labour government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which followed John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary earlier this month.
In his resignation letter, Healey criticised Starmer and the Treasury for refusing to give the armed forces the resources they need, arguing that the money allocated under the DIP would see defence spending rise from the current 2.6% of GDP to just 2.68% by 2030.
In a statement released on Monday evening, the defence ministry said the new minister, Dan Jarvis, had “spent the last two weeks refocusing the DIP so that it prioritises getting the latest kit into the hands of military personnel, including for the UK’s elite Commandos”.
