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Keir StarmerLabour PartyDefence

5% of GDP on national security by 2035

“That is why, as part of this strategy, we make a historic commitment to spend 5% of our GDP on national security by 2035.”

In planNational Security Strategy 2025, PM's foreword, page 5, 24 Jun 2025
  2. In plan

Where it stands

The National Security Strategy commits to 5% of GDP on national security by 2035; No 10's 23 June 2025 press release gives a projected split of 3.5% core defence and 1.5% resilience and security; the June 2026 Defence Investment Plan restates the 3.5% for 2035, but money is set out only to 2029-30, at 2.7% of GDP. The deadline is taken as the end of 2035.

What has happened

  1. Jun 2025PM commits to 5% of GDP on national security by 2035 in the National Security Strategy, ahead of the NATO summit, Promised
  2. Jun 2026Defence Investment Plan restates the 3.5% of GDP core defence commitment for 2035; funding set out to 2029-30 at 2.7%, In plan evidence
  3. Dec 20355% of GDP on national security due by 2035, Deadline

About the cost

Year shown: 2035, the target year, in 2025 terms; central figure only. The government gave no cost. The IFS estimates that raising core defence from 2.3% of GDP to 3.5% equals about £36bn a year in 2025 terms. The IFS figure is measured from 2024 spending (2.3% of GDP), so it overlaps with the rise to 2.5% on the separate 2027 defence card. There is no costing for the 1.5% on resilience and security, so the figure covers the core defence part only. Low–high is an editorial ±10% because the source gives a central figure only.

More detail

Sources (4)
Corrections (1): what we fixed, in public
  1. Corrected on 6 Oct 2026: Cost note in version 1"Today's terms" meant the IFS's 2025 terms, and the note did not say that the IFS figure starts from 2024 spending. It therefore includes the rise to 2.5% already counted on the 2027 defence card.Was: “Year shown: 2035, the target year, in today's terms; central figure only. The government gave no cost. The IFS estimates that raising core defence from 2.3% of GDP to 3.5% equals about £36bn a year in today's terms. There is no costing for the 1.5% on resilience and security, so the figure covers the core defence part only. Low–high is an editorial ±10% because the source gives a central figure only.”Now: “Year shown: 2035, the target year, in 2025 terms; central figure only. The government gave no cost. The IFS estimates that raising core defence from 2.3% of GDP to 3.5% equals about £36bn a year in 2025 terms. The IFS figure is measured from 2024 spending (2.3% of GDP), so it overlaps with the rise to 2.5% on the separate 2027 defence card. There is no costing for the 1.5% on resilience and security, so the figure covers the core defence part only. Low–high is an editorial ±10% because the source gives a central figure only.”Source for the correction
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