New defence secretary to ‘reprioritise’ UK plan for military spending, say sources
Starmer ‘can’t sack him or let him resign’, says ally of Dan Jarvis after predecessor’s resignation
TL;DR
- New Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis plans to revisit and potentially revise the Defence Investment Plan (Dip).
- Jarvis may seek increased funding from the Treasury, a move his predecessor John Healey was reportedly denied.
- Healey resigned after disagreeing with the Treasury's proposed funding settlement for major defense projects.
- The UK government is considering reprioritizing aspects of the Dip, possibly by cutting other projects.
- Discussions involve finding sums to fund defense, with potential tweaks to the Dip rather than outright extra cash.
- The Prime Minister is attending the G7 summit, where defense and global threats are on the agenda.
- There are differing views on the funding gap and the urgency of reaching specific GDP spending targets for defense.