Labour commits to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP

We have to increase defense spending. We will increase it to 2.5% of GDP and the last time Britain was spending 2.5% on defence was in 2010 with Labour. And back then the British Army was over 100,000 full-time soldiers. Morale was at 60% and since then it morale has slumped. The army has been cut to the smallest size since Napoleon. So there is a big job to rebuild the strength of the British forces as well as to respect the service of those. Who do serve and that's the purpose of today's Armed Forces Day. We are totally committed to raising it to 2.5% of GDP. We'll do that alongside a defence review within the first year of the government. And that's the way that we get to grips with the threats we face, the capabilities we need, the true state of the armed forces, as well as the money available when we open the books. That's the way, if you like, we balance both the requirements for stronger national security. And the responsibility for sound public finances.