Jarvis pledges defence investment plan before NATO summit amid Treasury talks

UK Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has pledged to publish the delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) before the NATO summit in Ankara on 7 and 8 July. Jarvis, who assumed the role earlier in June 2026, is reported to have secured approximately £1 billion more for the plan than his predecessor, John Healey, who resigned after failing to bridge an £18 billion funding gap. While negotiations between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury continue, Chancellor Rachel Reeves expressed confidence that the plan would be published on time. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson stated that no new major policy commitments would be initiated during his final days in office, though the DIP was implied to be an exception.

Speaking at a military thinktank conference, Jarvis indicated he had "made the most of" his first 12 days in office and was working to finalise the DIP before travelling to Ankara with the Prime Minister. The minister emphasised that he would not get the deal done "at any cost," yet he acknowledged that "no single defence review or funding settlement … can erase the legacy of accumulated neglect" from previous governments. Healey resigned earlier this month after failing to secure more than £13.5 billion to plug the £18 billion gap for the plan, which covers the department’s major capital programmes for the next 10 years. Jarvis is understood to have already obtained at least £14 billion as part of the negotiations.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed she had met with Jarvis and Sir Richard Knighton, the Chief of the Defence Staff. She stated at Treasury questions that she was confident the new DIP would be published before the NATO Ankara summit, noting it would involve "more money spent more effectively" and meet the scale of challenges facing the country. Reeves gave no indication about whether more money had been offered beyond the reported increase, but her comments aligned with the government’s push to resolve the funding row, which has involved other departments taking a 1 per cent cut to their capital budgets.

Starmer’s spokesperson reiterated that the DIP, the subject of more than six months of negotiations inside government, would come out ahead of the Ankara summit, implying it was not considered a new major commitment despite the Prime Minister’s general stance against new spending initiatives in his final days. The NATO summit in the Turkish capital will be held on 7 and 8 July, serving as one of Starmer’s final international engagements as prime minister. Andy Burnham is expected to take over at the end of the following week on 17 July if there is no contest.

Jarvis noted that allies of Andy Burnham have dismissed concerns that he would reopen any defence spending deal agreed in Starmer’s final days. The minister added that his job is to carry the argument on to the next prime minister to ensure defence is the number one priority in the next Whitehall spending review. He highlighted the need to map out a trajectory to reach 3 per cent of GDP on defence spending and eventually 3.5 per cent by 2035, a target set by NATO for allies.