Defence spending increase prepares UK for war now and in the future, says Carns

An increase in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 will reassure allies, deter adversaries and prepare the UK for war now and in the future, the Veterans Minister has said.

In an interview with BFBS Forces News, Al Carns said the increase would allow the Strategic Defence Review to look at what the military needs "to fight the next and indeed, new conflict, that perhaps we may not want to fight, but may not have a choice".

He said we were now living through one of the most fractious periods he could remember, and the return to a 2.5% level of spending was "brilliant".

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Mr Carns stopped short of comparing the current climate with a second Cold War, but reiterated how precarious and divided the current geopolitical climate was.

"It's really important that if a crisis were to evolve, or an issue were to require our defence forces that we… have the right funding, the right equipment and the right people to get after that problem set," he said.

"We're seeing Labour really demonstrate the party of defence and power, which I think is really, really important."

It comes after the US caused waves across Europe when US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Trump administration does not see Ukraine joining Nato, adding that any return to the country's borders before 2014 was also unrealistic.

This was followed by a heavily critical speech delivered by US Vice President JD Vance, who said he did not see Russia or China as the greatest threat to Europe.

But Mr Carns said he hoped the increased spending announcement would see other European nations follow suit.

"Which will mean we can take care, from a European perspective, [of] our own security and support Ukraine more effectively," he said.

Mr Carns also said he hoped members of the public would see the announcement and understand "the major threats that can change their way of life, their children's way of life, are actually military threats by autocratic regimes all over the world".

"To push back on that, to protect us, to deter the chance of conflict, we must have an effective Armed Forces above and beyond anything else," he added.

"And that's the first rule of government and that's what Labour has really championed today by increasing defence spending to 2.5%.

"We need to keep us safe at home and strong abroad."