Analysis: Downing Street’s call for a reality check on defence spending comes at an unexpected moment
Flying to a Nato summit – at a time when there is a major war at the other end of Europe – is a curious time for Boris Johnson to beThe message from Downing St over the course of Tuesday was that a promise to increase defence spending by inflation plus 0.
Wallace did not spell out his demand in public, and insisted he had not put any specific figures to Johnson in private either. But the Ministry of Defence was content to let a leak run overnight that the minister would like to see defence spending increase from the current 2.1% of GDP to 2.5% by 2028.
One question is, how would that extra money on arms and soldiers be paid for? Would it mean, for example, cuts to the NHS to the benefit of a department with a long track record in wasting money? More likely it would mean higher taxes – perhaps why Johnson doesn’t want to have the conversation now. Ben Zaranko, an economist with the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said the reality of defence spending manifesto commitment all depends on the starting point.
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