Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Chancellor John Healey will set out a path towards meeting Britain’s NATO defence spending commitments in Wednesday’s Budget, including the alliance’s target for core defence spending to reach 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Monday 26 October, Burnham said the Government had been working to fully fund its existing defence investment plan and would explain its approach in the Budget on 28 October.
What did the Prime Minister say?
Asked whether Wednesday’s statement would cover a path towards spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 and 3.5% by 2035, Burnham said it would, according to Reuters and Press Association reporting. He also reiterated that Britain would meet its NATO commitments.
What does NATO require?
NATO allies agreed in 2025 to work towards spending 3.5% of GDP on core defence requirements by 2035, alongside a further 1.5% on wider defence- and security-related expenditure. The 3.5% core-defence figure should not be confused with the combined 5% framework.
How will the commitments be funded?
The Budget has not yet been delivered, and the Government has not published the detailed year-by-year allocations or revenue measures required to meet the targets. Reuters reports that defence manufacturers want a credible and sustained spending trajectory.
In a parliamentary answer on 9 September 2026, Treasury minister Emma Reynolds said the existing £15 billion Defence Investment Plan uplift would take NATO-qualifying spending to 2.7% of GDP in 2027–28. She said £4.7 billion of that uplift remained to be confirmed at Budget 2026, and that the next Spending Review would set out the path to 3.5% in 2035.
Budget pledge versus confirmed spending
Burnham’s statement confirms the Government intends to outline a pathway on Wednesday. It does not itself establish that the full spending increase has been funded, or that a legally binding timetable has been adopted. The precise distinction between an outline pathway and detailed fiscal commitments will become clearer when the Budget is published.
Sources
This report is based on Reuters reporting of Burnham’s 26 October ITV interview, ITV News/Press Association coverage, and a published parliamentary answer.
Sources: Reuters, 26 October 2026; ITV News, 26 October 2026; UK Parliament, written answer, 9 September 2026.