John Healey, who took office as chancellor after Andy Burnham became prime minister, has postponed setting a timeline for when the United Kingdom will achieve its 3% gross domestic product defence spending commitment. The Treasury confirmed the decision, stating that Healey’s first budget, scheduled for 28 October, will instead focus on fully funding the defence investment plan.
Healey’s shift marks a departure from his previous public stance on the issue. When serving as defence secretary under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he resigned in June, criticizing the government’s unwillingness to allocate sufficient resources for defence. At that time, Healey had specifically advocated for reaching the 3% target by 2030. However, since assuming his new role as chancellor, he has declined to establish a specific date for meeting the commitment.
The three-year defence investment plan was among Starmer’s final major announcements before leaving office. The initiative left approximately £1.2 billion annually unaccounted for, with Healey’s predecessor Rachel Reeves suggesting the gap would need to be filled through reductions in other government departments. Current projections indicate defence spending will reach 2.7% of GDP by 2030, a figure partly supported by Starmer’s decision to reduce UK aid expenditure.
The government has signaled it will address the broader defence spending commitment at a spending review planned for next year, though no specific date has been set. Officials stated the review will establish a pathway toward meeting NATO’s 3.5% of GDP defence target by 2035 and will determine when the 3% threshold will be reached. Meanwhile, Healey is set to attend a G20 finance ministers meeting in North Carolina later this week to discuss global economic growth prospects amid ongoing energy price concerns and trade tensions.
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