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Military boom time

Tanks

Boom in Military Spending

Tanks

BRITISH PUBLIC might question vast increase in arms spending

Today, 20 October 2022, Liz Truss, UK Prime Minister, has resigned and the British Government is in a feverish condition following a couple of weeks of disastrous policy decisions and U-turns. The newly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, has said that there will have to be painful cuts in the spending of government departments.

SO THERE WILL BE CUTS to public services – AND THE BRITISH PUBLIC WILL surely question why arms spending is continuing to increase rapidly.  Surely the public will not accept that arms manufacture would take precedence of over key departments such as the health service,  and education
The UK now has the biggest defence/arms spending budget in Europe. On 19th of November 2020 the government announced the largest military spending budget for 30 years.
This amounted to a £16.5 billion increase above the manifesto commitment over four years.
On existing forecasts, this is an overall cash increase of £24.1 billion over four years compared to the previous year’s budget.
The Royal United Services Institute said that the “additional cash represents a real-term increase of between 10 percent and 15 percent in the defence budget.”

HUGE FURTHER INCREASES IN SPENDING PLANNED
But now the government is planning astronomic further increases.

Professor Malcolm Chalmers of the Royal United Services Institute web 2 Sep 2022 commented on the latest UK arms spending target:
“To deliver on its commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, Liz Truss’s government will need to increase defence spending by about 60% in real terms. This is equivalent to about £157 billion in additional spending over the next eight years, compared with current planning assumptions. By comparison, the 2020 Spending Review, and the associated Integrated Review, allocated an extra £16.5 billion over four years. This would be the biggest increase since the early 1950s.”

Professor Malcolm Chalmers, Royal United Services Institute website, 2 Sep 2022. TO PUBLIC SERVICES

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Where has the money gone? Aid budget cut funds arms spending

Where has the money gone? Aid budget cut funds arms spending

Cash shortage isn’t just because of covid.  – Biggest arms spending budget for 30 years

The UK now has the biggest defence/arms spending budget in Europe. On 19th of November 2020 the government announced the largest military spending budget for 30 years.

This amounted to a £16.5 billion increase above the manifesto commitment over four years.

On existing forecasts, this is an overall cash increase of £24.1 billion over four years compared to last year’s budget.

The Royal United Services Institute said that the “additional cash represents a real-term increase of between 10 percent and 15 percent in the defence budget.”

No threats of war

This cannot be because we are suddenly under greatly increased threat of invasion.

Lack of money for foreign aid, NHS, Education, Care of the Elderly etc

Surely it is not a coincidence that the foreign aid budget has been drastically cut. Not enough money to meet increased demands in the health service. But the media don’t talk about this huge increase in government arms spending at a time of critical, immediate needs.

David Roberts

30 July 2021