Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces £5bn extra defence spending during US trip
Downing Street said £3bn from the extra spending would be earmarked to support the pact, along with boosting industrial infrastructure and servicing UK submarines.
Spending after this date would be assessed against a target to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the "longer term", No 10 said, without specifying a timeframe. Downing Street said the new strategy would take account of an increased security risk posed by Moscow, as well as "increasingly concerning" military, financial and diplomatic activity by China.
Speaking ahead of the document's release, Mr Sunak said the increased defence spending would help the UK "stand our ground" in an increasingly "volatile" world. Mr Sunak sees both trips, in quick succession, as evidence of his desire to be "active, open and engaged around the world", as he told reporters on the flight to California.
While Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has publicly welcomed the prime minister's announcement, he had been hoping for considerably more.
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