- £64 billion for nuclear weapons whilst schools and hospitals crumble
- Defence Investment Plan locks in even further public sector cuts
- CND says the DIP accelerates war and nuclear dangers – time for a new direction
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has condemned the government’s Defence Investment Plan, announced on Tuesday, warning that it accelerates war and nuclear dangers and locks Britain into decades of rising military and nuclear weapons spending.
The £15 billion outlined in the DIP is on top of the £60.2 billion already given to the Ministry of Defence for the year 2024/2025. Britain’s military spending is now on course to rise to nearly £80 billion per year by 2029.
The plan confirms at least £64 billion will be spent on Britain’s nuclear weapons over the next four years. This includes the Dreadnought nuclear submarine programme, the ongoing development of the new Astraea nuclear warhead, and support for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines. £26 billion has also been allocated over the next decade to upgrade nuclear bases like Faslane and Devonport. Yet even these eye-watering figures fail to capture the true lifetime cost of Britain’s nuclear weapons programme, which is expected to run into hundreds of billions of pounds.
The Defence Investment Plan also entrenches Britain’s nuclear expansion through the purchase of 12 nuclear-capable F-35A fighter jets. These warplanes are intended to restore a nuclear role for the RAF within NATO and will carry US B61-12 nuclear bombs during a NATO nuclear strike. This represents the biggest expansion of Britain’s nuclear posture for a generation.
CND warned that the government’s figures significantly understate the real cost of Britain’s nuclear weapons programme. Years of delays, overspends and repeated revisions have turned the programme into a financial black hole, while Parliament and the public continue to receive little transparency over its total cost.
£5 billion of spending outlined in the DIP also remains unfunded, threatening even more cuts to public services. With the NHS, local government, education and other essential services facing continuing financial strain, CND says ministers are choosing military spending and preparing for the next war over investment in people’s wellbeing and public infrastructure.
The announcement also comes amid unprecedented increases in military spending and nuclear expansion across Europe, and a deteriorating international security environment. Rather than responding to growing nuclear dangers by strengthening arms control and diplomacy, governments are accelerating a new arms race, increasing the risks of confrontation and miscalculation.
CND is calling on the government to reject the false choice between militarisation and genuine security, abandon further expansion of Britain’s nuclear weapons programme, and invest instead in the things that actually keep people safe: healthcare, housing, education, climate action and diplomacy.
CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt said:
“This Defence Investment Plan is a blueprint for dragging Britain into a global war that could go nuclear. The government is committing at least £64 billion to nuclear weapons over the next four years, but the real cost of Britain’s nuclear weapons programme is far higher. It’s a financial black hole that will drain public resources for generations.
“Starmer’s decision to buy nuclear-capable F-35A fighter jets marks a dangerous expansion of Britain’s role within NATO. At a time when nuclear risks are rising across Europe, this is exactly the wrong direction.
“At a time when climate breakdown is accelerating, and we are on the verge of another cost-of-living crisis, it is totally reckless to be making drastic, long-term cuts to public services to fund hundreds of billions more for war and nuclear weapons that will only worsen these crises. These are political choices, and they are the wrong ones.
“Real security means investing in people—not nuclear weapons. Britain should be leading international efforts for nuclear disarmament, diplomacy and peaceful conflict resolution instead of fuelling a new arms race. As CND’s People Not Nukes campaign makes clear, Britain’s future security depends on investing in people, not weapons of mass destruction.”