‘Confusion reigns’ despite Sunak’s shift in tone on defence spending

A pledge by the prime minister to put the UK’s arms industry on a “war footing” and boost defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2030 will ring as hollow as Rishi Sunak’s armed forces unless he wins the election. It raises the question why he did not make the move sooner and aim higher – given the scale of the threat, with Russia waging a full-scale war in Ukraine, the potential for escalating conflict in the Middle East and an increasingly aggressive China. A return to 2.5% of GDP spent on defence – while welcome – would simply…