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Defence Secretary Wes Streeting faced questions at the Commons Defence Select Committee for the first time since taking up the role, about plans to fund the military. He said the Strategic Defence Review set out how the UK needs to respond to the threat environment and the Defence Investment Plan set out how to make that happen. He said his priority was to ensure the country can deter enemies and, if deterrence fails, be ready to fight and win. That required strengthening capability, the defence industrial base and alliances, and being able to out-produce and out-innovate adversaries.

Streeting said NATO has said the UK and allies need to be able to fight and win a war against adversaries by 2030, adding that the UK does not seek conflict, escalation or to provoke Russia, but that Russia tests the UK and allies daily. He said hybrid threats could describe acts of sabotage, targeted assassinations and state-backed terrorism. He also discussed value for money, modernisation and defence reform, saying he had inherited an advanced reform programme and was focused on joined-up leadership, the NAD group, productivity and avoiding overspending. He said finances for the fiscal year were off track and he had made savings decisions, while defence spending had risen significantly since Labour took office and the Defence Investment Plan provided just under £300 billion over four years. Committee members questioned him on immediate changes, implementation of the plan, funding commitments beyond 2.7 per cent by 2030, the 3 per cent target, the timing of the spending review, and whether extra support was backloaded. He said he would put the best case to the Treasury, was confident about reaching 3 per cent, and pointed to additional resource and a £500 million modernisation fund after the change of secretary of state, but did not confirm a specific commitment beyond the figures already set out.