Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing military expenditure following recent aggression from Russia and China.

The 2021 Integrated Review recognised the unprecedented challenges posed by geopolitical shifts, including intensifying competition between states, a widening range of security threats, and rapid technological change.

To that end, the Government is increasing defence spending by over £24 billion over the next four years: the biggest investment in the UK's Armed Forces since the end of the Cold War. This increase takes the annual Defence budget to £47.9 billion in 2022-23, clearly exceeding the 2% of GDP NATO target.

This commitment reinforces the UK's position as the leading European NATO Ally and underlines our enduring commitment to the defence and security of Europe.