British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering delaying the announcement of a roadmap outlining how Britain plans to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP, The Times reported on Tuesday.
The delay would push back a key stage in Britain’s efforts to meet its NATO commitment to raise defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
The government is facing growing pressure to explain how it intends to achieve the target while responding to an increasingly challenging security environment.
Burnham has committed to achieving the 2035 spending target, but his government has not yet released a clear timeline or plan for meeting the goal.
Finance Minister John Healey had previously said he would present an initial plan for increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP during the next spending review, which was expected to take place in spring 2027.
However, The Times reported, citing a source, that officials were now working on the assumption that the spending review could be held in October 2027.
A finance ministry spokesperson rejected reports that the review had been postponed, saying no date had yet been confirmed.
“No date has been confirmed for the Spending Review. Claims of a delay are purely rumour and speculation,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Britain’s security concerns have been highlighted by recent developments, including the US decision on Sunday to withdraw bombers from an English airbase following a suspected Iranian plot targeting the facility.
British ministers have repeatedly delayed decisions on additional defence funding over the past two years.
Healey, who became finance minister in July, previously served as defence minister. He resigned from the role after failing to secure funding to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030, a development that contributed to the downfall of then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that reaching the interim 2030 target would require an additional £17.3 billion ($22.9 billion) in government funding.
Healey also faces a £4.7 billion funding shortfall needed to fully finance the existing Defence Investment Plan.
The finance minister is scheduled to present his first budget on October 28.
Goodness Anunobi
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