Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 65293 on Defence: Finance, if she will publish the average increase as a percentage of GDP spent on defence expenditure from 2027, excluding the addition of intelligence and security services spend.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
NATO qualifying defence expenditure is calculated using standardised NATO definitions of defence spending, as agreed by NATO allies.
Annual defence expenditure per country is reported to NATO on a regular basis and is published on their website.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 65293 on Defence: Finance, what the total quantum of spend on the Chagos settlement is, for each remaining year of the current Parliament.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The UK’s financial obligations under the UK-Mauritius Treaty can be found in the document ‘UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia’, which is available on Gov.uk. Payments will be managed responsibly within the government’s fiscal framework and reported in annual accounts in the usual way. Obligations within MOD and FCDO budgets have been agreed through the recently published Spending Review. No payments will be made until the treaty is legally binding.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government press release entitled Government and business put forward "Team UK" approach to unleash defence sector's potential, published on 7 July 2025, how much in cash terms of the stated increase of defence spending to 2.6% is accounted for by (a) reductions in Official Development Assistance spend and (b) the addition of the single intelligence account to the defence budget.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The Chancellor’s Spring Statement 2025, table 2.1, outlines the changes to defence and Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending that will see NATO qualifying core defence spending increase to 2.5% GDP by 2027.
CP1298 – Spring Statement 2025
The Single Intelligence Account (SIA) budget is not being added to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) budget, but, in line with our allies, will be considered fully NATO qualifying defence spending by 2027. The inclusion of SIA will increase defence spending by around 0.1% in 2027, meaning that NATO qualifying defence expenditure will reach 2.6% GDP in 2027. Full details of the SIA budget over the Spending Review period can be found here:
Spending Review 2025 (HTML) - GOV.UK
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July to Question 62701 on Defence: Finance, when the Single Intelligence Budget was last included in the core defence budget.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The Single Intelligence Account is not included in the Ministry of Defence’s budget.
Historically, the SIA’s budget has included elements of NATO-qualifying defence expenditure. In order to recognise the important contribution the intelligence agencies play in national defence, by 2027, we will consider the whole of the SIA to be NATO-qualifying, in line with our allies. It will be included towards the 2.6% target for core defence spending.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July to Question 62703 on Defence: Finance, what the total financial quantum was of the elements of the single intelligence account which will be included in the Ministry of Defence budget from 2027.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The Single Intelligence Account plays a vital role in our national defence, hence it has received an increase of funding in the Spending Review, and it will make a greater contribution to the UK’s total NATO qualifying defence spending from 2027.
This does not mean that the intelligence and security services will be added to the MOD budget; they remain distinct budgets reflecting spend on different departments.
NATO qualifying defence spending has always included elements beyond the MOD TDEL budget.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 45, clause 15, of the National Security Document 2025: Security for the British people in a dangerous world, if she will list (a) all government departments that will be included in the commitment to spend 2.6 percent of GDP on defence expenditure from 2027 and (b) the financial quantum in each case.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The National Security Strategy 2025 was published on 24 June 2025. It confirms that by combining an increase in funding with recognition of the vital contribution the Single Intelligence Account plays to our national defence, the UK will spend 2.6% on NATO qualifying defence spending from 2027.The inclusion of departmental spending that falls under NATO qualifying defence spending definitions will continue to be periodically reviewed in line with NATO guidance.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 45, clause 15, of the National Security Document 2025: Security for the British people in a dangerous world, whether the announced 2.6 per cent of defence spending from 2027 will be classified as core defence spending.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The National Security Strategy 2025 was published on 24 June 2025. It confirms that by combining an increase in funding with recognition of the vital contribution the Single Intelligence Account plays to our national defence, the UK will spend 2.6% on NATO qualifying defence spending from 2027. This will be classified as core spending.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government press release entitled UK to deliver on 5% NATO pledge as Government drives greater security for working people, published on 23 June 2025, how much of the announced commitment to spend 1.5 percent of GDP on resilience and security represents new money.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
NATO provides reporting guidelines for the 1.5% defence and security related spending. It will include investments that raise the overall resilience of our societies, such as energy security, telecommunications, and infrastructure, as well as the execution of defence plans, expanding industrial capacity and innovation and counter hybrid actions.
Our National Security Strategy confirms our belief that these types of investment are vital to national security and we are pleased that this is now recognised by NATO. As set out in the Spending Review 2025, this government is making significant investment into these areas and we are confident we will meet the 1.5% target on defence and security related spending.
Along with all other NATO allies, the UK will report against the new categories of defence spending at the next NATO reporting deadline.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 45, clause 15, of the National Security Document 2025: Security for the British people in a dangerous world, whether the announced 2.6 percent of defence spending from 2027 will include any expenditure on resilience and security.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The National Security Strategy 2025 was published on 24 June 2025. It confirms that by combining an increase in funding with recognition of the vital contribution the Single Intelligence Account plays to our national defence, the UK will spend 2.6% on NATO qualifying defence spending from 2027. This 2.6% will be considered core defence spending.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government press release entitled UK to deliver on 5% NATO pledge as Government drives greater security for working people, published on 23 June 2025, how much of the 4.1 percent of GDP spent in 2027 will be classified as core defence spending.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
This government is confident that it will spend at least 4.1% GDP on NATO qualifying defence and security related spend in 2027. This will comprise 2.6% core defence spend which we have already announced, and at least 1.5% on defence and security related spending.