LONDON: Outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that Britain would spend a "record" of almost £300 billion ($397 billion) over the next four years to modernise its armed forces in the face of rising threats. Starmer, expected to leave office next month after losing the support of Labour members of parliament, announced an extra £15 billion for defence spending up to 2030 when he launched his long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
The plan, due to be published later on Tuesday, will see increased money for drones and autonomous systems as the nature of modern warfare changes. "This record investment puts the security of the British public first, transforming our armed forces and giving them the funding and equipment they need to fight and defend our nation," Starmer said.
The plan follows months of wrangling within the Labour government over the resources required to modernise Britain's fighting capabilities. Starmer has called the defence plan "game-changing investment". "I am absolutely certain that this is the platform on which whoever comes after me can build," he told reporters on Tuesday. The plan includes more than £5.0 billion for drones and autonomous systems over the next four years, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release. — AFP
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