UK PM Rishi Sunak vows extra £5 billion to counter threats from Russia and China

The United Kingdom would spend an extra £5 billion on its military to counter the increasing threats from Russia and China, reported Sky News. The aim behind this new proposal would be to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP. The Chinese Communist Party has been described as an "epoch-defining challenge" under this revised defence, security, and foreign policy review. As per the review report, Bejing has posed the most serious state-based threat to UK economic security.

Further, the UK would be focused on dealing with the "fundamental risk" to European security posed by Moscow and stopping President Vladimir Putin from benefitting from his invasion of Ukraine. Before the updated review report, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, "The new money for defence over the next two years would replenish and grow ammunition stockpiles and top-up funding for the nuclear deterrent." However, the budget, welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, has been recorded as much less than what UK military chiefs had thought to require, reported Sky News. 

UK to spend extra on Military 

According to the sources, the British army would require an extra £3 billion per year to abstain from further cuts in the UK military budget. Although, UK PM Sunak has failed to commit to a time span on when his aim for the defence expense would reach "2.5% of national income, up from just over 2%," during his trip to the United States. 

"The UK is increasing its ambitions when it comes to defence spending" and promised to review the figures after 2025," said Rishi Sunak.

The 2023 Integrated Review Refresh by Sunak would set parameters on how the country would react to the new threats and challenges posed by China and Russia. The important changes that have been included are the Russia-Ukraine war and rapidly aggressive military action by China around Taiwan. Further, the review report has also included, the creation of a new "National Protective Security Authority" within MI5, Double funding for a so-called "China Capabilities programme", a new security fund worth £1bn to economic and cyber security, countering terrorism, and Human rights, and an additional £20m in funding for the BBC World Service.