LONDON - Britain will cut spending on roads and other public projects to boost the military budget, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
"A number of capital projects, for example in the road and energy sectors - which are important but not urgent - will no longer be continued as planned," Starmer said at a press conference on the launch of the long-term defense budget plan.
He stressed that "difficult decisions" and such austerity measures were necessary to ensure national defense without having to resort to borrowing.
"The issuance of defense bonds is basically still a form of borrowing with another name... However, the fact is, doing this through borrowing will encourage an increase in interest rates," he added.
Starmer said Britain would increase its military budget by 27 percent to 80 billion pounds ($100 billion) a year by 2029.
The kingdom will invest more than 5 billion pounds ($6.6 billion) in drone technology and autonomous weapons, the prime minister said, calling it the country's biggest investment in the technology.
The funds will also be allocated to create a "hybrid Royal Navy" that utilizes maritime and underwater drones as well as artificial intelligence.
Starmer also announced the use of the latest generation of Typhoon fighter jets that fly with drones so that they are not detected by the enemy, combat drones that operate with Apache helicopters, a new fleet of reconnaissance drones, and an increase in the number of scattered loitering munitions.
In addition, Britain will also invest in long-range missiles, armored vehicles, and anti-drone systems.
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