Global Campaign on Military Spending – UK Briefing points in advance of the UK government budget announcement

The document highlights a £24bn increase in UK military spending over four years, primarily for equipment and offensive technologies, while noting a reduction in overseas aid from 0.7% to 0.5% of GNI. It further argues that current spending on reducing carbon emissions is far below the £9bn to £12bn annual level recommended by the Committee on Climate Change.

• The UK government announced a substantial increase in military spending totaling approximately £24bn over four years, averaging £6bn annually. This represents an average annual increase of about 10% when accounting for inflation, marking the highest percentage increase since the Korean War.
• The increase in military funding is concentrated on the 'capital' budget for equipment. Primary expenditures include nuclear weapons, submarines, combat aircraft, warships, and armoured vehicles, alongside newer investments in military AI, armed drones, cyber warfare, space technologies, and directed energy weapons like lasers.
• The UK government reduced its overseas aid budget target from 0.7% to 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI), resulting in a monetary reduction of £3.3bn between 2020-21 and 2021-22.
• Current government spending to reduce carbon emissions is insufficient to meet targets. While the 'ten point plan for a green industrial revolution' has a budget of £12bn (averaging £2.8bn per year over four years), the Committee of Climate Change (CCC) estimates that annual spending needs to increase rapidly to between £9bn and £12bn.

APA

Parkinson, S. (2021). Global Campaign on Military Spending – UK Briefing points in advance of the UK government budget announcement. Scientists for Global Responsibility. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/GCOMS-UK-bfg-pts-1Mar21-final.pdf

Chicago

Parkinson, Stuart. Global Campaign on Military Spending – UK Briefing points in advance of the UK government budget announcement. Scientists for Global Responsibility, 2021. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/GCOMS-UK-bfg-pts-1Mar21-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parkinson |first1=Stuart |title=Global Campaign on Military Spending – UK Briefing points in advance of the UK government budget announcement |publisher=Scientists for Global Responsibility |date=1 March 2021 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/GCOMS-UK-bfg-pts-1Mar21-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parkinson2021global, author = {Parkinson, Stuart}, title = {{Global Campaign on Military Spending – UK Briefing points in advance of the UK government budget announcement}}, institution = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/GCOMS-UK-bfg-pts-1Mar21-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }