PM's remarks on the Strategic Defence Review: 2 June 2025
PM鈥檚 remarks on the Strategic Defence Review.

Good morning to all of you, thank you for being here this morning 鈥�
Thank you for sharing the work that you are doing here, some of which we can see right behind us.
Because this is a legendary Govan shipyard.
And it鈥檚 really good to be able to be here in this massive space, and to be back on the Clyde.
As you may have seen a couple of months ago 鈥�
Just after dawn, on a drizzly morning 鈥�
If you can believe it 鈥撀�
I took a boat out onto the firth,
To meet one of our vanguard-class submarines鈥�
As it came back in off patrol.
And it was a record-breaking patrol.
And we boarded the sub. It had just surfaced. It had been at sea鈥�
Maintaining our continuous-at-sea deterrent鈥�
For months on end 鈥�
A really long shift 鈥�
And met what was quite a remarkable crew.
And I will remember that day for the rest of my life.
Because it was very clear to me that there is no greater duty than the one that they carry 鈥�
No task more vital.
Our security鈥�
NATO鈥檚 security鈥�
Depends on them.
And I had the privilege of being shown around and talked to many teams on the sub鈥�
Saw them rushing to their battle stations to conduct a firing drill鈥�
And wherever I went on the sub, whichever team I was talking to鈥�
From the engineers, the cooks, the navigators 鈥�
Over and over again 鈥�
There was a sort of unofficial motto that they told me 鈥� their motto:聽
鈥淣othing works unless we all work together.鈥�
And in this moment of danger and threat for our country 鈥撀�
That is the spirit we need.聽
The Strategic Defence Review that I am launching today鈥β�
Will bring that unity of purpose to the聽whole聽of the United Kingdom鈥�
To mobilise the nation in a common cause鈥�
Recognising, in these dangerous times,
That when it comes to the defence of the realm鈥�
And the defence of everything we hold dear鈥�
Nothing works unless we all work together.
From every man and woman serving in uniform,
To the workers building the next generation of subs in Barrow鈥�
From the brilliant workers and apprentices right here in Govan鈥�
Building the new Type 26 frigates 鈥� like the two you can see being built behind me today鈥β�
To our tech experts, our scientists, our engineers 鈥�
Who are pioneering battlefield innovations and cyber defences 鈥撀�
Every part of society鈥�
Every citizen of this country鈥�
Has a role to play.
Because we have to recognise that things have changed.聽
In the world of today 鈥�
The front line, if you like, is聽here.
The threat we now face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable鈥�
Than at any time since the Cold War.
We face war in Europe, new nuclear risks, daily cyber attacks鈥�
Growing Russian aggression in our waters鈥β�
Menacing our skies鈥�
Their reckless actions driving up the cost of living here at home鈥�
Creating economic pain鈥�
And hitting working people the hardest.
A new era in the threats we face,
Demands a new era for defence and security鈥�
Not just to survive in this new world 鈥�
But to lead.聽
We will never gamble with our national security.聽
Instead, we will act 鈥撀�
In the national interest.聽
And that鈥檚 why I placed national security鈥�
At the heart of our Plan for Change鈥�
That鈥檚 why I launched this Strategic Defence Review鈥�
Within days of becoming Prime Minster.
And now it has delivered.聽
And I want to thank the reviewers 鈥撀�
Especially Lord Robertson who is with us today.
Thank you so much for your work and the work of the other reviewers.
What you have delivered is a blueprint to make Britain safer and stronger:
A battle-ready, armour-clad nation鈥�
With the strongest alliances鈥�
And the most advanced capabilities 鈥�
Equipped for the decades to come.聽
And we have already acted 鈥撀�
Announcing the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.
Raising it to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 鈥�
Setting the ambition to hit 3% in the next Parliament鈥�
Subject to economic and fiscal conditions.聽
And today 鈥� following through on this review 鈥撀�
I want to set out three fundamental changes that we鈥檙e going to deliver.聽
First, we are moving to warfighting readiness 鈥撀�
As the central purpose of our armed forces.聽
When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces鈥�
The most effective way to deter them is to be ready 鈥�
And, frankly, to show them that we鈥檙e ready 鈥�
To deliver peace through strength.
Now Britain has the finest service men and women in the world.
We鈥檙e showing them the respect that they deserve
By delivering the biggest Armed Forces pay rise in 20 years,
And by pledging, today, that we will end the hollowing out of our Armed Forces.
We鈥檒l build a fighting force that is more integrated, more ready, more lethal than ever 鈥撀�
Backed by a stronger Strategic Reserve 鈥� fully trained and ready to mobilise at any time.
Second, everything we do will add to the strength of NATO,
As we step up to take greater responsibility for our collective defence.
The NATO alliance means something profound:
That we will never fight alone.
It is a fundamental source of our strategic strength.聽
That鈥檚 why our defence policy will always be 鈥淣ATO first.鈥�
Something that is written through this review.
The transformation we are driving in our defence must add up to鈥�
Britain鈥檚 biggest contribution to NATO since its creation.
So that when we are building new capabilities at home 鈥�
We are making our allies safer too 鈥撀�
Strengthening Europe 鈥撀�
And strengthening our bridge to the US,聽
As Britain鈥檚 first partner in defence.
Third, we will innovate and accelerate innovation to a wartime pace鈥�
So we can meet the threats of today and tomorrow鈥�
As the fastest innovator in NATO.聽
Now this doesn鈥檛 mean replacing people or hardware 鈥�
Quite the opposite 鈥撀�
It means learning the lessons of Ukraine, which I have discussed many times with President Zelenskyy鈥�
To ensure every capability we have works seamlessly together 鈥撀�
Drones, destroyers, AI, aircraft鈥�
Each different branch of our armed services鈥�
Fully integrated鈥�
To create an Army which is ten times more lethal by 2035.
And in delivering all of this 鈥撀�
We are more ambitious than ever for the change it can bring.聽
To deliver鈥β�
Not just security for our country 鈥�
But renewal too.
After the Cold War, many nations cut defence spending,聽
Freeing up public funds鈥�
Creating what was called a 鈥減eace dividend鈥澛�
Which people felt in their public services and the quality of their lives.
Faced with new circumstances today 鈥撀�
We must deliver for working people again 鈥撀�
To seize, now,
A 鈥渄efence dividend鈥� for the British people鈥�
Using this moment to drive jobs and investment鈥�
Throughout the country 鈥撀�
Like here in Govan鈥�
Providing local opportunities, skilled work 鈥� community pride.
Ensuring that everyone across the United Kingdom has a role to play in this effort, yes 鈥撀�
But, also, that everyone has a stake in its success.
And 鈥� I want to spell this out very simply鈥�
To achieve this鈥�
We鈥檙e going to build.
We鈥檙e going to use this investment 鈥撀�
And this once-in-a-generation reform鈥�
To drive renewal up and down the nation鈥�
Creating new jobs鈥β�
Creating skills and opportunity鈥�
Driving huge growth in industrial capacity.
Let me give just one or two examples.
I can announce today鈥�
That we are going to build at least six new munitions factories in the United Kingdom 鈥撀�
Generating over 1,000 jobs.
We will build thousands of new long-range weapons in the United Kingdom鈥�
To boost European deterrence鈥�
Supporting around 800 more jobs.
We will defend our homeland鈥�
By investing in our air and missile defence 鈥撀�
To better protect these islands.
We will create a hybrid Royal Navy鈥�
Blending drones with warships, submarines, and aircraft to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond 鈥撀�
Supporting thousands of brilliant shipbuilding jobs 鈥撀�
Including right here in Govan.
Under our Aukus alliance with the US and Australia鈥�
We will now deliver up to 12 attack submarines 鈥撀�
Protecting Britain鈥檚 waters鈥�
Scaling up the industrial base in Barrow 鈥撀�
And all along the supply chain鈥�
To deliver a new sub every 18 months 鈥撀犅�
Again, creating thousands of jobs.
We will also invest in world-leading drone capabilities and battlefield technology鈥�
In better kit for our warriors abroad鈥�
And better housing for them and their families at home.
And 鈥� finally鈥�
I can confirm today that we are investing 拢15 billion鈥�
In our sovereign warhead programme鈥�
To secure our deterrent for decades to come 鈥撀�
Creating 9,000 jobs鈥�
And thousands more in the supply chain across the country,
Part of the historic renewal of our nuclear deterrent 鈥撀�
As the ultimate guarantor of our safety and our security.
The moment has arrived 鈥�
To transform how we defend ourselves鈥β犅�
And to renew our nation 鈥撀�
An investment in British pride and the British people鈥�
A defence dividend 鈥撀�
That will be felt in the pockets of working people鈥�
And the prosperity of the country鈥�
Securing growth for generations to come鈥�
Part of a new contract to unite the Kingdom鈥�
A new spirit of service, flowing from every part of society 鈥撀�
From the supply lines to the front lines 鈥撀�
Everyone benefitting, everyone playing their role 鈥撀�
Doing their duty to the nation and to each other 鈥撀�
To preserve our way of life 鈥撀�
And the things that we hold dear鈥�
Because when it comes to security and renewal:
Nothing works unless we all work together.聽
Thank you very much indeed.