Keir Starmer unveiled the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) on Tuesday — his final major policy act before handing No. 10 to Andy Burnham next month. The plan pledges an extra £15bn for defence by 2030, pushing overall spending to £80bn a year (2.7% of GDP), with money scraped from road-building, energy schemes, and military housing upgrades. Starmer used the moment to warn his successor not to borrow more to pay for defence.

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