UK defence secretary calls on Burnham to show path to 3.5% spending target

The new UK defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, has called on the prime minister-in-waiting, Andy Burnham, to significantly increase defence spending from 2030 and 'evidence the trajectory' towards a NATO target that would mean £25bn more per year for the military by the middle of the next decade.

Jarvis, a former paratrooper, said he was confident that Burnham valued national security, as he openly lobbied for funds that would likely require cuts elsewhere. 'What I absolutely will want to see is that in the next spending review we commit the resources to evidence the trajectory to 3.5% [of GDP],' Jarvis said ahead of the annual NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.

Jarvis, who wishes to remain in post, has already been in contact with Burnham and his team to discuss defence priorities and the £298bn four-year defence investment plan (Dip) published last week. 'I've known Andy for a very long time and I have not a shred of doubt that as prime minister he will make sure that we've got the resources that we need at a point of challenge,' Jarvis said.

He described the world as 'absolutely more dangerous and more complicated than at any point during my lifetime', as Russian warships and shadow fleet vessels accused of launching drones over RAF Lakenheath sail around the UK. Britain is preparing for its most significant sustained deployment in years, safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz with France, subject to a US-Iran peace deal.

Jarvis will travel to Ankara with Prime Minister Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. He said he would personally reassure US counterpart Pete Hegseth that the UK would honour the 3.5% pledge made last year under pressure from Donald Trump. 'I will give him [Hegseth] the commitment that we will honour the pledges, the commitments that we've made to the United States and to our Nato allies,' Jarvis said.

His predecessor, John Healey, quit last month after Starmer only committed to 2.68% of GDP by 2030, leaving a steep curve to the 3.5% target in 2035. Jarvis secured a modest £1.5bn extra over four years as part of the £298bn plan, partly for drones, but the uplift had negligible overall impact. The plan sparked backlash as spending on roads was cut and a £4.7bn hole left for the Treasury to fill in Burnham's first budget.

Burnham, former Greater Manchester mayor and health secretary, has little background in defence but said in an interview he would 'fully fund' the defence plan and 'no compromise on the security of the nation'. Meeting the NATO commitment requires a £25bn shift in resources, funded by cuts, taxes, or borrowing, though limited headroom exists.

Jarvis acknowledged the need to 'make the case for defence' to the public and colleagues, and said leaving a funding gap for the next budget was routine. He argued he had skewed more money towards drones – about £600m – after studying their use in Ukraine and the Middle East. He succeeded in publishing the Dip where Healey failed by conducting 'constructive' negotiations with the Treasury, which approved an extra £15bn until 2030, £1.5bn more than Healey obtained.

Jarvis learned of Healey's resignation while at Sandhurst, marking 30 years since he was a cadet there. 'My phone was ringing away,' he said, but someone told him the news, which came as a 'big shock'. Starmer offered him the job at Downing Street that evening, a 'very big moment' given his 30-year connection to defence.

Jarvis was commissioned into the Parachute Regiment, serving in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, before resigning in 2011 to become an MP. He later served as South Yorkshire mayor and security minister before promotion. He accepted Starmer's offer immediately without demanding more defence funds as a condition. He expressed hope to continue serving under Burnham, saying it would be up to Burnham to decide.