In her Spring Forecast statement to the House of Commons, the Chancellor said the government is “sticking to the plan” set out in the November Budget, and emphasised fiscal discipline, economic stability and adherence to the government’s fiscal rules. She confirmed the commitment to holding only one major fiscal event each year, meaning this was presented as a forecast update rather than a full Budget. The Chancellor highlighted updated forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility and reaffirmed existing spending priorities including growth, public services and defence, alongside a continued commitment to increase defence spending over the Parliament in response to heightened global uncertainty. The statement contained no major new policy announcements and largely reaffirmed previous spending plans.
This is yet another statement fails to meet the scale of the crisis facing ordinary people across the UK. While households struggle with rising prices, stagnant wages and economic uncertainty, the government is choosing to prioritise increased military spending instead of investing in the real foundations of security and prosperity.
The Chancellor has described the current global situation as “uncertain”. Yet government decisions are making the UK less safe. By allowing US military action to be launched from British bases against Iran and pressing ahead with nuclear expansion, ministers are increasing the risk of escalation while diverting billions from the real crises at home. The illegal attacks on Iran have already pushed up petrol and energy prices, intensifying cost-of-living pressures for ordinary families. Expanding military budgets and nuclear arsenals is not the solution.
People need affordable energy, secure jobs, properly funded public services and urgent action on climate change. These are the pressures shaping daily life across the country and they cannot be addressed by weapons of mass destruction.
There is a clear alternative path. Economic growth and national security can be strengthened by investing in people, rebuilding public infrastructure, and accelerating the transition to clean energy. Diversifying away from an overreliance on defence spending would better prepare the UK for the economic, social, and environmental challenges ahead.
CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt said:
“The government’s obsession with nuclear weapons and military escalation is a betrayal of ordinary people. At a time when households are grappling with high bills, low wages, and ever increasing economic insecurity, the government is choosing to pour billions into weapons that do nothing to make Britain safer.
“CND is demanding that the government halt further expansion of nuclear weapons, publish the full lifetime costs of the programme, and invest in what truly keeps people secure: public services, climate action, and diplomacy, not bombs. The government must rethink foreign policy choices that push Britain closer to conflict and drive up the cost of living.
“If the government was serious about economic responsibility and long-term security, it would face the truth: the nuclear arms race is a luxury the public cannot afford, and it is failing the very people it claims to protect.”