Defence spending and Ukraine

What positions have MPs and peers taken on defence spending and support for Ukraine over the past twelve months?

A briefing written by AI (Claude) from the Hansard records cited below, prepared 27 October 2026 from records up to 26 October 2026. Check the sources before relying on it.

In brief

Government ministers presented support for Ukraine as sustained and rising, as when the Defence Secretary John Healey said "This year we are spending the highest ever level on military aid to Ukraine" [Source 4].
Opposition MPs and peers pressed on funding and delivery of defence plans, as when Ashley Fox asked "Where is the defence investment plan?" [Source 19].
Liberal Democrats argued for going further, as when James MacCleary said "we can and should go further" [Source 11] by using frozen Russian assets.
Committee witnesses raised concerns about funding clarity, as when Kevin Craven of ADS told the Defence Committee that "the lack of a pathway towards a higher level of spending" [Source 31] makes scaling up harder for industry.

Ministers and government witnesses – supportive

Ministers described support as firm, as when Defence Minister Louise Jones wrote that "our support for Ukraine remains rock solid" [Source 3].

Jones's written answer of September 2026 said the UK has committed to at least £3 billion in military support a year to Ukraine until FY 2030-31 [Source 5].
Alistair Carns, Minister for the Armed Forces, said the capital spending to prepare for the Multinational Force for Ukraine is funded from the core defence budget [Source 2].
Darren Jones told the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy that "The commitment to get to 3% of GDP in the next spending review will be set out in the allocations in the 2027 spending review" [Source 28].

Conservatives – critical of delivery

Conservative backbenchers criticised the pace of spending, as when Ashley Fox (Bridgwater) said "they would have published their defence investment plan as promised in the autumn; instead, we have had delay and excuses ever since" [Source 19].

Julian Lewis said that in the 1980s "we were spending between 4.5% and 5% of GDP every single year" [Source 20].
Aphra Brandreth said "It is not enough to be the coalition of the willing. We must be the coalition of the prepared" [Source 17].
Shadow ministers, including James Cartlidge, asked whether defence spending would be accelerated to 3% and 3.5% of GDP [Source 10].

Liberal Democrats – supportive but pressing for more

In the Lords, Baroness Smith of Newnham welcomed the ministerial visit to Ukraine but said "we do not seem to have a sense of urgency from the Chancellor of the Exchequer" [Source 13].

She also raised the implications of delays to the defence investment plan for small and medium-sized enterprises [Source 13].
James MacCleary criticised "a £9 billion accounting adjustment with no explanation, a defence investment plan that remains unpublished" [Source 11].

Labour backbenchers – supportive

Labour backbenchers backed Ukraine support, as when Connor Rand said "That is vital not just for Ukraine's security, but for ours" [Source 24].

Paul Davies welcomed the coalition commitments but asked what specific air defence capabilities had been pledged [Source 23].

Committee witnesses – mixed

Industry and Treasury witnesses described the plans in different terms. Rachel Reeves told the Treasury Committee that "we have given defence the biggest uplift in spending since the end of the cold war" [Source 29].

Craven said "The lived experience on the ground is that it is still hard to get orders" [Source 31].

About the evidence: The records are mostly written questions and short Commons and Lords extracts, so several groups rest on one or two speakers; many shadow ministers' items are questions without answers. No division records are included. The Northern Ireland Assembly material concerned European Parliament votes rather than Westminster policy, and that Assembly decides devolved matters for Northern Ireland.

Defence spending and Ukraine

Sources