Asked by: Baroness Foster of Oxton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to allocate further funding to the Defence Investment Plan.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Defence Investment Plan allocates a further £15 billion to defence spending over the next four years, funded by reprioritising public spending, with £10.3 billion already identified and a further £4.7 billion to be confirmed at Budget 2026 in a fair and balanced way. This brings total defence spending to almost £300 billion over the next four years and by 2027-28, the UK will spend 2.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on core NATO defence spending.
The Government has committed to increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP in the next Parliament, with funding and plans to be set out in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Oxton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the £4.7 billion of uncommitted funding in the Defence Investment Plan will be met at the next Budget.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Defence Investment Plan allocates a further £15 billion to defence spending over the next four years, funded by reprioritising public spending, with £10.3 billion already identified and a further £4.7 billion to be confirmed at Budget 2026 in a fair and balanced way.
A Defence Investment Plan Funding Explainer can be found on the government website.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Oxton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet the efficiency savings outlined in the funding package for the Defence Investment Plan.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Defence will deliver £10.7 billion of efficiencies and savings over the Parliament, including through a reshaped civilian workforce, accelerated use of AI, £1 billion of savings from reduced reliance on consultancies, and rationalisation of the MOD estate. This will be underpinned by a £500m Transformation Fund to deliver productivity improving investments in AI and workforce transformation
The plan will be subject to an annual update to Parliament before summer recess, audited by the NAO, with the first update due by July 2027.
A further breakdown of the Defence Reform and Efficiency Plan can be found on page 73 of the Defence Investment Plan, available on the government website.