Chancellor prioritises military over tackling cost of living and climate crises
Chancellor John Healey delivered his Budget in Parliament yesterday promising over £5 billion extra for the military over the course of this Parliament, with core military spending set to be £68.3 billion in 2026-27. That’s a 10% increase in a single year.
The UK is already one of the most militarised societies in the world, the sixth highest spender on the military according to latest figures, but the appetite for more military spending among some politicians is insatiable. Healey plans to set out how the UK will reach 3% of GDP on military spending by 2030 – on the path to the NATO target of 3.5% by 2035 – saying he is “thinking hard” about cuts to other areas of public spending.
Hitting the arbitrary targets set by NATO will cost the government tens of billions of pounds extra every year. This is money which could otherwise be spent tackling the cost of living crisis, dealing with the impact of climate change, funding the NHS, investing in education and much more besides.
While some MPs cheer the announced increases in military spending and others call for swingeing cuts to welfare support to pay for even more, many people struggling to pay their bills, heat their homes or put food on the table will wonder how they are made more secure by yet more weapons.
GCOMS-UK agreed with Prime Minister Andy Burnham when he said in September 2026 that “national security cannot come at the expense of social security”. We urge MPs to reject the path of high military spending, and to instead invest in a different future based on genuine security for all people.
