Stuart Anderson MP has responded to the publication of the Government’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) by leading calls for spending on defence to rise to 3.5% of GDP, with an additional 1.5% of GDP spent on “defence-related spending”.
On 2nd June the Government announced the conclusion of the SDR, which included plans for defence spending to rise to 3%, alongside an extension of military capabilities in numerous other areas. However, Stuart has described this review as “out of date before it was even published”.
This comes after Stuart recently represented the UK Parliament at the Spring 2025 NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton, Ohio. There, Stuart met with the Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte, who called for NATO members to meet the challenges of today by spending 3.5% of GDP on defence, with this additional 1.5% spent on defence-related spending. Stuart therefore asked the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon John Healey MP, whether he would make a commitment in line with these NATO recommendations to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence.
The Strategic Defence Review was announced soon after the General Election in July 2024, with the Defence Secretary overseeing a review to “consider the threats Britain faces, the capabilities needed to meet them, the state of [the] UK armed forces and the resources available”. The Government have announced plans to build six new factories to make munitions in the UK, increasing the production of long-range weapons and building 12 new attack submarines.
Despite this, the Government failed to lay clear plans to reach 3% of GDP spending on defence in the review, with the Defence Secretary being forced to admit that these plans were only an ‘ambition’.
Stuart has extensive experience on defence matters in Parliament, having served in the Defence Committee and as the Shadow Armed Forces Minister. Now as a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Stuart recognises the important role the UK plays as a leader in NATO.
Stuart Anderson MP said: “I have been honoured to represent the United Kingdom at the NATO Spring Session, where we discussed the increasing threats facing our nations. Defence spending must increase to meet the threats we face today. It is no good committing to spending in 9 years-time, by which point the world landscape may have changed quite dramatically. I believe, along with the NATO Secretary General, that we must spend 3.5% of GDP on defence as soon as possible in order to defend our nation.”
Question transcript: “I do welcome the NATO-first strategy in the SDR, and that we are looking to lead within NATO. Last week I was in Dayton, Ohio on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, where the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, said 3% will not be a credible solution to defence –he’s going to set this out in the NATO summit – and that 3.5% was required to be credible, with 1.5% on defence-related funding, that is going to be set out this month. Will the Defence Secretary, if this is what NATO say is a credible commitment, commit to 3.5%?”
