On Monday 11 November MPs debated the issue of military spending, with Shadow Secretary of State James Cartlidge asking for an update from the Ministry of Defence.
Responding to the initial question, Healey described the Government’s commitment to spending 2.5% of GDP on the military as “cast iron” – stating that a “pathway” to reach that level will be set out in the spring.
Reaching 2.5% of GDP on military spending would require billions of pounds more to be spent. This is one top of the nearly £3 billion extra announced in the Autumn Budget last month and the £3 billion in military aid which has been pledged each year to Ukraine indefinitely.
Since the re-election of Donald Trump as US President there have been growing calls from some politicians for military spending across Europe to be increased. Instead of reflecting on the fact that global military spending has reached the highest recorded level and instead consider taking a new approach and cutting military spending to invest in peace building and diplomacy, the budget for which has been cut over many years.
One of the few voices challenging the calls for ever-more military spending was Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn noted that last year global military spending reached $2.4 trillion and asked what actions the Government taking to “bring about a cessation of conflicts and of global tension to allow defence expenditure to be reduced globally so that some of that money can be used to deal with the serious environmental and inequality issues that face this planet?”
Throughout the more than 45 minutes of debate there were repeated calls for billions more spending on the military, but very few suggestions of where it could be spent. GCOMS UK has been calling for a cut in military spending with the billions saved diverted towards socially productive projects including tackling poverty, reducing waiting lists in the NHS and mitigating the effects of the climate crisis. The UK and other states also need to urgently invest in peacebuilding and diplomacy after years of cuts.
