There is no immediate military threat to Britain. We should spend less on defence | Simon Jenkins

The Guardian UK Wednesday 01 July 2026, 17:05 UTC By Simon Jenkins 1 min read

Key Points

Parliament, media and thinktanks are united in their view that more military spending is still not enough. But sacrificing domestic projects to pay for it is indefensibleBritain should spend less on defence. It is a waste of money and should be reduced so more could be spent on supporting employment, welfare and growth.

Parliament, media and thinktanks are united in their view that more military spending is still not enough. But sacrificing domestic projects to pay for it is indefensible

Britain should spend less on defence. It is a waste of money and should be reduced so more could be spent on supporting employment, welfare and growth.

Why is there no such debate? Why should “defence” be awarded an almost religious invulnerability? At present, parliament, broadcasters, print and social media, thinktanks and pundits all admit to only two points of view. One is that Britain should spend more on defence, the other is that it should spend far more.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist

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There is no immediate military threat to Britain. We should spend less on defence | Simon Jenkins

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