Rishi Sunak promises an extra £5billion for defense - but avoids 3% spending commitment

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Rishi Sunak has revealed an additional £5 billion will be added to the UK military budget over the next two years as the government presents the latest defense and security review. foreign policy.

The Prime Minister has also pledged to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP over the long term, eschewing his predecessor Liz Truss' more ambitious 3% target .

Mr. Sunak said he wanted to "fortify" Britain's defenses in an increasingly "volatile" world - as he pledged to make the country less vulnerable to threats from Russia.

The government launches an updated integrated review on Monday, as the Prime Minister meets US President Joe Biden and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in California to discuss the expansion of nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus pact. /p>

The review - to be presented to parliament by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on how 'robust' the plans are to deal with new threats from Russia and China.< /p>< p>It will see the creation of a new protective National Security Authority within MI5 to provide a wide range of UK businesses and other organizations with immediate access to expert security advice.

Funding for China capacity program ties – including Mandarin training and diplomatic expertise in China – will be doubled. And the BBC World Service will receive £20m to tackle disinformation.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has reportedly advocated for his department's budget to be increased by more than double the amount announced by No. 10, around £11 billion.

Junior Defense Minister James Heappey has admitted there have been 'robust' private clashes between the Ministry of Defense (MoD) and the Treasury over funding levels.

Ms Truss had promised to increase defense spending from its current level of 2% to 3% of GDP by the end of the decade at an estimated cost of £157billion. But Mr Sunak has delivered on the 2.5% commitment made by Boris Johnson last year.

"As the world becomes more unstable and competition between states intensifies, the UK must be prepared to hold firm,” Mr Sunak said as he traveled to the US.

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