On Friday 12 April Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer visited Barrow-in-Furness to give his support to the new generation of nuclear submarines being developed in the town. He also pledged to match the current Conservative spending commitments on the military, which would see an increase to 2.5% of GDP – well about the NATO target of 2%.
Responding to the visit and announcements – Dr Stuart Parkinson, Co Chair of GCOMS UK, said:
Sir Keir Starmer may wish to increase military spending but with Britain already being one of the world’s most heavily armed nations in the world, he hasn’t explained why it’s needed and what it would mean for budgets elsewhere in Whitehall.
Figures released by the Treasury as part of the Spring Budget showed that core military spending was £54.2 billion in the financial year just ended. As a nation we already spend 2.3% of GDP on our armed forces – well above the NATO target of 2.0%. Hence, the Labour commitment – which now matches the Conservatives – would require billions of pounds of extra spending at a time when both parties have said we must tighten our belts. So that will mean cuts in other public services.
Starmer’s announcement was made, by coincidence, at the start of 35 Days of Action on Military Spending, where campaigners from around the world will call for a reduction in military spending. The activities are co-ordinated by the Global Campaign on Military Spending. In the UK, campaigners are calling for cuts in the millitary budget to be used for more investment in the NHS, education, social housing, addressing the climate crisis, and helping the world’s poorest. These are projects which would not only provide genuine security for people but will likely support many more jobs than the military industrial sector.
Rather than constantly trying to out-bid each other with ever-increasing budgets for the armed forces as we approach the General Election, politicians should instead set out their vision for improving the lives of people at home and around the world. The crises we face demand nothing less.
