UK’s Healey says government will fill defense plan gap by ‘reprioritizing’

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Chancellor John Healey leaves 11 Downing Street with his treasury team to present the Autumn Budget to Parliament on Oct. 28, 2026, in London. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

LONDON — Finance minister John Healey said on Wednesday “reprioritization” in other departments would fill a £4.7 billion ($6.3 billion) gap in Britain’s Defence Investment Plan, a blueprint government hopes shows its NATO commitment .

In his first budget, Healey said he would also adopt this approach of “looking hard at public spending” to set out the details of how Britain will meet the NATO commitment of spending 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2035, and mark a target date for 3% in 2030.

“In today’s budget, I am fully funding the Defence Investment Plan, including through capital reprioritization across Whitehall. This honors the commitment made both by me – and by the prime minister,” he told parliament, referring to a part of London home to most government departments.

Healey, Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Defense Minister Wes Streeting are under pressure to increase investment more quickly.

Confirming that detailed plans for reaching the 3% and 3.5% goals will be set out in a spending review planned next year, Healey said he was also “determined to use more innovative financing, alongside the private sector and our international allies.”

That delay in plotting a clear pathway to 3.5% will heighten calls by the main opposition Conservatives, who have demanded Healey’s resignation if he failed to set out a credible plan at the budget.

Healey resigned as defense minister under Keir Starmer in June over what Healey viewed as inadequate spending on defense, specifically over the former prime minister’s unwillingness or inability to find funds to reach the 3% goal by 2030.

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2026年10月28日，财政大臣约翰·希利携财政部团队离开唐宁街11号，前往伦敦向议会提交秋季预算案。（图片来源：Leon Neal/Getty Images）

伦敦——财政大臣约翰·希利周三表示，其他部门的“重新调整优先事项”将填补英国国防投资计划中 47 亿英镑（63 亿美元）的缺口。政府希望这份蓝图能够展现其对北约的承诺。

希利在他的第一份预算案中表示，他也会采取这种“认真审视公共支出”的方法，详细阐述英国将如何履行北约承诺，即到 2035 年将 GDP 的 3.5% 用于国防开支，并设定 2030 年达到 3% 的目标日期。

“在今天的预算案中，我将全额资助国防投资计划，包括通过调整白厅各部门的资本优先事项来实现。这兑现了我以及首相所作出的承诺，”他向议会表示，他指的是伦敦大部分政府部门所在的区域。

希利、总理安迪·伯纳姆和国防部长韦斯·斯特里廷面临着加快增加投资的压力。

希利确认，为实现 3% 和 3.5% 的目标而制定的详细计划将在明年计划进行的支出审查中公布。他还表示，他“决心与私营部门和我们的国际盟友一起，使用更具创新性的融资方式”。

迟迟未能制定出实现 3.5% 经济增长目标的明确路径，这将加剧主要反对党保守党的呼吁，他们要求希利如果不能在预算案中提出可信的计划，就应该辞职。

希利于 6 月辞去基尔·斯塔默领导下的国防部长职务，原因是希利认为国防开支不足，特别是前首相不愿或无力找到资金来实现到 2030 年国防开支占比 3% 的目标。