Defence bosses demand more spending as war threat grows

British Army sets sail to Europe for Exercise Steadfast Defender 7 Light Mechanised Brigade aka ‘The Desert Rats

Leading defence chiefs are urging Britain to ramp up military spending as the threat of war grows across the world.

Bosses at Airbus and Babcock have called for greater UK investment in defence, amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency.

Ben Bridge, global head of space and defence at Airbus, said military spending must be prioritised at a time when “war is very much on our doorstep”.

He said there was “a need for the UK and other nations to take those threats seriously and then respond appropriately.”

Babcock chief David Lockwood separately called for greater defence spending, warning that Britain needed sovereign capabilities in order to defend itself from threats to its values.

He said: “I do think this is the first time in my lifetime when we’re not taking Western freedoms for granted. Because even in the Cold War, frankly, we were either going to be free or blown to smithereens – we weren’t under threat in the way we are now.”

It follows demands from Grant Shapps to raise defence spending to 2.5pc of GDP, up from 2.2pc now.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson has also called for a boost to Britain’s defence budget, as he said last week that “now is the moment for an even more robust posture”.

Mr Bridge echoed these demands: “It is a difficult political balancing game for each country to decide how much of their GDP is put towards defence.

“Given the situation the world is in, I would certainly argue that this should be given priority among other budgetary needs.”

He added: “Clearly, it’s a very unstable time in the world.”

Increasing defence spending to the levels that Mr Shapps has called for would cost an estimated £9bn next year. Mr Bridge urged ministers to invest in UK-based suppliers to help build up our sovereign capabilities.

This would mark a reversal of a recent trend across Europe. Many military contracts have been awarded to US suppliers such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

However, there are concerns about outsourcing work to the US given the chance of a second Trump presidency. The Republican candidate has vowed to put American interests first and has criticised Europe’s overreliance on the US for defence.

In February, Mr Trump said he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to Nato countries that don’t meet the commitment to spend 2pc of GDP a year on defence.

Last month the former president told GB News that European nations should not “take advantage” of US support.

A government spokesman said: “We have been clear that we need to spend more on defence in a more dangerous and contested world.

“That is why the Government has overseen the largest sustained defence spending increase since the end of the Cold War – with a £24bn uplift in cash terms since 2020, and an additional £11bn at last year’s spring Budget.

“We have committed to increase that to 2.5pc of GDP on defence when the economic situation allows.”

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