Scale of the Challenge: The Prime Minister speaks at BAE Systems to mark the publication of the Strategic Defence Review. © PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
The Strategic Defence Review saw UK Defence catapulted onto the frontpages this week, with Monday entirely devoted to its launch in Glasgow and much, much later in the day – to the Speaker’s great annoyance – in Parliament (more on that drama below). The Review contains 62 recommendations the Government have stated they will enact in full, including billions of pounds in funding commitments for new technology, military housing improvements and the renewal of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, as the Government commits to spend 2.5% of GDP on Defence by 2027. If you haven’t yet got round to reading the 144 page, 52,000 word document, then here are the key headlines…
£15bn in the sovereign warhead programme, the creation of a ‘New Hybrid Navy’, up to £1bn new funding for homeland air and missile defence, the creation of a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command, £6bn in munitions this Parliament, at least six new UK energetics and munitions factories in the UK, up to 12 new nuclear submarines – one built every 18 months, 7,000 new long-range weapons built in the UK, £1bn to integrate the Armed Forces through a new Digital Targeting Web, establishment of a £400m UK Defence Innovation organisation/fund, creation of a new MOD Defence Exports Office, £7bn of funding this Parliament to renew military accommodation, publication of a new Defence Investment Plan this autumn, a Defence Infrastructure Recapitalisation Plan by early next year, and the introduction of a Defence Readiness Bill to provide the Government with powers to mobilise Reserves and industry should ‘crisis escalate into conflict’. And breathe…
“We are moving to warfighting readiness…” This was the message Keir Starmer was keen to impress upon the public through the watching media as he launched the Review on Monday morning. Announcing the SDR would “mobilise the nation in a common cause”, he argued “every citizen has a role to play” and that the UK will “accelerate innovation to a wartime pace”, with the economic and societal benefits being felt through a “defence dividend” driving jobs and growth across the country.
602 – Labour’s Davy Russell’s winning margin over the SNP in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Scottish Parliament by-election.
2 – number of Cabinet Ministers still reportedly in discussions with the Chancellor over their funding settlements, due to be unveiled at the Spending Review on Wednesday (Yvette Cooper and Angela Rayner)
£450m – funding allocated to expand A&E facilities under the urgent and emergency care plan 2025-26.
14% – drop in Tesla shares on Thursday after Elon Musk entered a sparring match with Donald Trump on X.
£200,000 – amount Zia Yusuf had previously donated to Reform UK
5% – proportion of GDP that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wants members to agree to spend on defence at the upcoming summit later this month (he is expected to settle for 3.5%, plus 1.5% on associated infrastructure)
The Chancellor visited Greater Manchester to deliver a speech unveiling £15.6bn of investment into local transport projects in England. The funding will be delivered to each Mayoral Combined Authority, hoping to ‘empower local leaders to invest in transport projects that will make a difference to their local area.’ Projects likely to receive investment include a Metro extension linking Washington to Newcastle and Sunderland and a renewal of South Yorkshire’s tram network linking employment and housing areas in Sheffield and Rotherham.
The Department for Education announced it will extend the eligibility for free school meals to all children living in households receiving universal credit from the start of the 2026 school year. The expansion is expected to lift 100,000 children in England out of poverty and comes ahead of the Child Poverty Taskforce publishing its ten year review later this year.
Solar panels are to be included in the new Future Homes Standard due to be published in the autumn, confirmed DESNZ this week. The announcement means that builders will be required to fit solar panels to the vast majority of new build homes in England, unless they fall under certain exemptions, such as being covered by shade.
A Scottish Parliament by-election in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse seat proved victorious for Labour as Davy Russell became the new MSP. The by-election was triggered following the passing of the SNP’s Christina McKelvie. The SNP finished second in the by-election, with Labour beating its predecessor by just than 600 votes. Reform UK finished third, and the Conservatives received just 6% of the vote.
The Independent Water Commission published its interim findings, setting out 5 areas where change is needed in the water sector: strategic direction & planning; legislative framework; regulatory reform; company structures, ownership, governance and management’ and infrastructure and asset health. The Commission’s full conclusions and detailed recommendations will be published later in the summer.
Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf resigned as Chairman stating it was ‘no longer a good use’ of his time. Taking to X, the former CEO said that during his time as Chairman he quadrupled the Party’s membership and ‘delivered historic electoral results’ but gave no further explanation for the reasons behind the resignation. Responding to the news, Reform’s leader Niggel Farage MP said he was ‘genuinely sorry’ to see Yusuf go.
The Conservatives began hinting at policy proposals this week as Kemi Badenoch delivered a speech on immigration, in which she announced the launch of a review into whether the UK should leave the ECHR, stating it had become “a sword used to attack democratic decisions”. The commission will be led by Shadow Attorney General Lord Wolfson and the final decision will be delivered in a report in the autumn, in time for the Conservative Party Conference.
Over in the Shadow Treasury, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride also delivered a speech this week, in which he accepted that Liz Truss’ Mini Budget put economic stability at risk and stressed that a Conservative Government will never again undermine fiscal credibility and make promises the UK can’t afford. He also emphasised the need to develop a plan to have a more secure and competitive energy system; identified the need to bring down net migration and increase housing supply; and detailed the need to reform financial services.
In the Commons, the Data (Use and Access) Bill was returned after the House of Lords voted 221 to 116 to send the Bill back for the fourth time as they pushed for greater protections for creatives from AI. A ministerial statement on the continuing bloodshed in Gaza, followed immediately by the introduction of a Bill from none other than a certain Jeremy Corbyn calling for an independent inquiry into UK involvement in Israel’s military operations, was a reminder of the almighty pressure the Government is under on this front. Thursday saw Backbench Business debates on the two hottest topics of the day: bank closures and the safety of battery energy storage sites.
Over in the House of Lords, the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill completed its second reading and the Employment Rights Bill continued its seemingly endless committee stage, with peers discussing everything from the use of AI in HR and shift scheduling to the role of volunteers on heritage railways. The Sentencing Guidelines Bill, Complications from Abortions Bill and Crown Estate (Wales) Bill also got a look-in.
Immigration, the NHS, and the economy are seen as Labour’s weakest areas, according to recent YouGov polling. Around 70% of Britons believe the Government is handling health and the economy badly, with just one in five thinking that they are managing the areas well. Three quarters (74%) of the public say immigration is being handled poorly, including over half who say they are handling the issue very badly. Views on terrorism and defence are mixed, with these two issues standing out as the only areas where public opinion is divided or somewhat positive about the Government’s performance.
Labour Cabinet ministers, however, enjoy increased support among party members, with a new Survation poll showing that approval ratings have risen by 8% on average. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner saw the biggest jump of +25 points to +71, following the leaked memo on alternative tax proposals, and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband topped the rankings for the third time at +74. Even lower-ranked figures like Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, saw a boost in popularity of ten percentage points and 13 percentage points respectively.
Britain must expand its independent nuclear deterrent and reform its civil nuclear programme, if it is to remain secure and economically competitive, according to two new papers published by Policy Exchange as part of the launch of its Nuclear Enterprise Commission. The reports argue that Russian aggression and American uncertainty proves that a strong UK deterrent is essential, particularly given ‘the weaknesses in Europe’s ability to expand its conventional deterrence’. On civil nuclear energy, the papers warn that overregulation has made nuclear power unaffordable and that without an overhaul, the UK will continue to struggle to deliver reliable, cheap, clean energy.
We all saw it coming, but wow, was it messy when it arrived. In a breakup worthy of a Taylor Swift album, the President of the USA and his ex-DOGE-in-Chief, Elon Musk, went nuclear this week – starting with a disagreement over the President’s “big, beautiful” tax and spending bill, then spiralling into full-blown chaos. Musk declared himself responsible for Trump’s election, hinted that Trump features in unreleased Epstein files, threatened to ground the Dragon spacecraft used by NASA, and called for Trump’s impeachment. The President, not to be outdone, suggested the easiest way to save money was axing Musk’s subsidies and contracts. And this probably won’t be the end of it…
MPs can sometimes be their own worst enemies, and this week was no exception, as opposition complaints about access to the Strategic Defence Review ironically delayed its official release. The document, which had been given to the media on Monday morning and was meant to be published in Parliament around 15:30, after the Defence Secretary’s statement. But the Speaker threw in a plot twist – an Urgent Question from the Conservatives, who wanted to scold the Government for announcing things outside the Commons, as well as another-defence themed UQ. The result? More delays, as Healey had to wait to deliver his statement.
