Defence Investment Plan: Will the UK’s plan for defence help it hit Nato’s spending target?

The prime minister has frequently claimed the government is spending £270bn on defence over this parliament which he says is “the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the 1980s”.

This number represents the total cash spending figure for the MoD budget set out in the 2025 Spending Review, covering the four years to 2028-29.

Sir Keir said today that the DIP increases this by “a further £15bn”.

So this £15bn figure is an increase in defence spending over four years relative to previous plans.

Reports suggest that the original DIP would have increased spending by £13.5bn over four years.

That suggests that, over four years, the government has found an additional £1.5bn for defence since Healey resigned from Sir Keir’s cabinet.

Rachel Reeves said in a statement, external that of the £15bn, £10.3bn had been identified now, and “a further £4.7bn over four years will be confirmed at Budget 2026”.