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How does the autumn statement affect military spending?

Summary In the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, he confirmed that there had been a major rise – of 15% – in the UK’s core military spending last financial year. However, there are signs that the government’s enthusiasm for further growth is on the wane. In more depth The Autumn Statement 2023 (AS23)[i] revealed that the UK’s core …

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Introducing the new GCOMS UK Co-ordinator

Introducing Russell Whiting, the new GCOMS UK Co-ordinator. I’m delighted to be taking up this role at what is such a crucial time for our campaign to divert money away from military spending into socially productive areas. The climate crisis is raging around the world, and as leaders prepare to gather for the latest COP summit there is …

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What new spending has been announced in the updated UK military strategy?

Ben Wallace, UK Defence Minister at European Defence Roundtable

The ‘refresh’ of the UK’s military strategy – published in mid-July – announced new spending of £2.5 billion, and provided more detail on earlier spending commitments. So, what has been revealed, and how does it compare with civilian public spending? The updated strategy says that the new £2.5bn will be spent on “munitions and stockpiles”, …

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Recruiting: GCOMS UK Co-ordinator

lithograph image of worker holding aloft a broken missile. Captioned 'Jobs not Bombs'

GCOMS UK is seeking a paid Coordinator (freelance) to bring together its various activities. Hours: 13 hours/week Remuneration: £25/hr Duration: 3 years (already part-funded as of April 2023). Location: Working remotely GCOMS is an international campaigning organisation that works to challenge the priority given by governments to military spending rather than environmental and social programmes. …

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aljazeera: Are militaries driving the climate crisis?

Dr Stuart Parkinson, GCOMS UK Co-Chair, appeared on an Aljazeera panel last night discussing military carbon emssions, alongside Lindsay Koshgarian, Program Director of The National Priorities Project and Marcy Winograd, Coordinator of Code Pink Congress. Write up for the show “For years, climate activists have centered their work around stopping some of the world’s biggest …

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Global military spending soars during cost-of-living crisis – and Britain is in the thick of it

Banner image for UK statement - image shows a military helmet used as a plant pot next to the slogan " War Costs us the earth"

New data on global military spending – published today – shows that last year it grew by 3.7% above inflation to a massive $2.24 trillion. The UK’s percentage increase – 3.7% – was higher than its largest NATO allies – the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Turkiye. The new spending data has been published …

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Military spending boosted more than health, education, environment or overseas aid

This short briefing examines UK government spending presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, in his Spring Budget 2023 (SB-23).i Summary The detailed figures for SB-23 show that UK military spending over the period 2021-25 has been boosted by £7.1 billion when compared with budget figures announced in last autumn. This includes an …

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Eight reasons why we shouldn’t increase UK military spending

Image of F35-B lightning jets on the HMS Queen Elizabeth

The UK government is considering increasing its military budget in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It claims that the range of military threats now faced by Britain are greater than those it identified in a 2021 government review. Below are eight reasons why we think the UK’s military budget should …

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GCOMS on Warrior Nation Podcast

Warrior Nation Podcast logo

We were pleased to be asked to discuss the work of GCOMS UK on the Warrior Nation Podcast, produced by ForcesWatch one of our newest UK supporting organisations. As the sentiment goes, there always seems to be money for warfare but never quite enough for welfare. So what’s the picture in the UK – that …

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