His plan will focus on attack drones, autonomous systems and uncrewed ships and submarines, favouring technology over warships, to reflect the reality of modern warfare as seen in Ukraine, according to a statement released on Monday.
“This game-changing investment will strengthen our Armed Forces,” Starmer said before a major speech on Tuesday when the plan will be published in full.
He has promised to raise defence spending to three per cent of national output in the next parliament, from the 2.6 per cent it is expected to reach next year, after a defence review in 2025 said Britain needed to shift to “war-fighting readiness”.
But defence chiefs have said there is still a £28 billion funding gap over the next four years, and the government statement did not provide details of how far the DIP would go to meeting the shortfall, closely watched by those in the industry.
