Britain 3% of GDP by 2030: Britain is planning to spend more money on its military in the coming years. The government wants to increase defence spending to 3% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030. It also has a target of reaching 3.5% by 2035. Finance Minister John Healey announced these plans on October 28, 2026, along with new steps to support defence companies and work more closely with European countries.
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Britain Plans Higher Defence Spending and New Investments
The government plans to use the money to support its recently announced Defence Investment Plan. John Healey said that more details about reaching the 3% and 3.5% targets will be shared during next year’s spending review.
The government has also confirmed that the current Defence Investment Plan is fully funded. A £4.7 billion funding gap will be covered by making changes to capital spending across government departments. But the full funding plan for the longer-term spending targets will be explained next year.
Britain is also setting up a new Innovative Defence Financing Taskforce. Its main job will be to bring more money from private businesses and foreign investors into defence projects.
The National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank will also provide up to £5 billion over the next four years. This money will support defence projects and other technology that can help protect the country’s security.
Britain to work with European Countries
The UK also plans to work more closely with the Netherlands, Poland and Finland. These countries will work together on buying military equipment and developing new defence systems. They also want to make it easier for their defence companies to sell products in other markets.
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The four countries are moving ahead with treaty talks for a new Multilateral Defence Mechanism. They hope to have it running by 2027. The plan is expected to reduce costs and make joint defence purchases easier.
The Ministry of Defence will also set up a new team to work on rules for testing uncrewed military systems. This is expected to make testing new technology easier.
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The government has also announced an additional £10 billion in support for Ukraine. This includes £7 billion in economic support over three years and £3 billion in extra export finance support. It also includes £500 million for Ukraine’s air defence during the coming winter.
This new package is separate from Britain’s existing commitment to provide £3 billion in military support every year until 2030-31 or for as long as needed.
Another major plan involves Rolls-Royce. The UK government and the company are planning a joint £2.5 billion programme over 10 years to develop new gas turbine technology for passenger and military aircraft. The programme is expected to support around 3,300 jobs by the end of 2029.
But the final funding and agreements are still subject to further checks and approval.
