Sir Keir Starmer did not reveal the full details of the Strategic Defence Review – we are expecting the document to be published in full this afternoon, once the defence secretary has given a statement about it to the House of Commons.
But he did make a few key announcements.
He announced three “fundamental changes” to the UK’s posture in order to create an army that is “10 times more lethal by 2035”:
- “Moving to war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces”;
- “Everything we do will add to the strength of NATO”, meaning the UK’s defence policy will “always be NATO-first”;
- The UK will “innovate and accelerate innovation at a wartime pace”.
The PM also confirmed some details of what his government will do (much of which was already trailed in the newspapers):
NOW – Starmer: Britain moves to "war-fighting readiness."pic.twitter.com/Plyn6b4BJJ
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) June 2, 2025
