The UK government announced on Saturday it will invest £1.5 billion (€1.8 billion) to build new weapons and ammunition production plants, ahead of releasing its updated defence strategy.
The revised defence strategy outlines the threats facing the UK and details the government’s military preparedness plans.
In February, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that he would raise the nation’s defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, up from the current 2.3%, in response to heightened security concerns in Europe and calls from the United States for NATO allies to boost defence investments.
The Labour government aims to increase this further to 3% of GDP by the next parliamentary term, beyond 2029.
The new defence strategy recommends establishing a “constantly active” munitions production capability in the UK to quickly ramp up production if needed, and to lay the industrial groundwork for expanding ammunition stockpiles to meet the demands of high-intensity warfare, according to a Defence Ministry statement.
As part of this, the government will finance the construction of “at least six new factories” for munitions production and “up to 7,000 long-range weapons” within the country.
“We are strengthening the UK’s industrial base to better deter our adversaries and make the UK safer domestically and stronger internationally,” Defence Secretary John Healey stated in the announcement.
He emphasised, “The hard-learned lessons from President Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine show that an army is only as strong as the industry that supports it.”
