UK to set out path to NATO target in Wednesday's budget, PM says

British Prime Minister ​Andy Burnham said on Monday his finance ​minister John Healey would set out ‌this ​week a plan to fully fund the government's existing defence commitments alongside a pathway to hitting a 2035 NATO spending pledge.

Healey ‌is due to deliver his first budget on Wednesday, with the defence industry looking for reassurance the government has a plan to step up defence spending. Burnham told ITV's Good Morning ‌Britain the first challenge his government had to meet was to fully fund the ‌already announced defence investment plan.

"We've been working hard to do that," he said. "It's crucial that we have a funded plan that we can then implement, and we will set out more details on Wednesday as to ⁠how we've ​done that." Asked if the ⁠pathway set out on Wednesday would include a commitment to lift spending to 3% of GDP on defence ⁠by 2030 and 3.5% by 2035, he said: "It is, and we will set out a plan ​as to how we think is the right way to do that."

"We will ⁠meet our NATO commitments." Britain currently spends around 2.6% of its GDP on defence and had said it would ⁠hit ​the 3% target in the next parliament, with an election due at the latest in mid-2029.

Last year, NATO members agreed to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence ⁠requirements by 2035, with an additional 1.5% of GDP on broader defence and security measures. In ⁠order to have ⁠credibility with allies and investors, the defence industry wants Britain to set out a steady increase in defence spending, rather than pushing it ‌back to ‌beyond 2030.