UK Government aims to spend 3% of GDP on defense by 2030, Chancellor says, but not everyone's convinced

MercoPress · 29/10/2026, 8:42:00

The UK Government will aim to spend 3% of economic output on defense by 2030, and will plot a course for the target at next year's spending review, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey has said. Work is underway to reach the target – and Britain's promise to NATO to spend 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2035 – in a “fiscally sustainable way”, the Chancellor said, indicating that raising defense spending further could in part come from making cuts elsewhere.