Radakin urges next prime minister to prioritise defence spending and NATO

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin argued the next prime minister must put defence at the centre of government, giving Andy Burnham a “Moscow test” for his policies in addition to Burnham’s own “Makerfield test.” Radakin argued Britain’s security environment now demands a leader who can operate “almost like a wartime prime minister,” while also meeting the UK’s pledge to lift defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.

Burnham, now the MP for Makerfield after winning the 18 June 2026 by-election, wants new legislation to work for post-industrial communities that Westminster has neglected.

The Strategic Defence Review 2025 says Russia is waging war on the European continent and probing UK defences at home. The government has already committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2027 and has set an ambition of 3% in the next Parliament. Its latest national security strategy expects a NATO-endorsed split of 3.5% on core defence and 1.5% on resilience and security by 2035, with at least 4.1% of GDP expected in 2027 under NATO’s new estimate.

John Healey and Al Carns resigned earlier this month over insufficient investment for the Defence Investment Plan, which the government will publish before the NATO summit in Ankara on 7-8 July 2026. On 24 June, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK met in Berlin and backed work toward the summit, stressing the transatlantic bond, stronger European burden-sharing and support for Ukraine.

The government has announced £80 million for 2,500 new student places in defence-related skills, a £50 million South Yorkshire Defence Growth Deal, and an £879 million helicopter support contract for Apache and Chinook fleets that will sustain more than 1,000 UK jobs. In Yorkshire and the Humber alone, defence spending is almost £1 billion a year.