Times letters: Putting the defence budget on a war footing

Sir, The prime minister’s commitment to raising defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 is welcome, not as a solution to our national security challenges but as a statement of intent (news, Apr 24).

Three per cent should remain the objective in these uncertain times. The extra £75 billion must be spent wisely to support Ukraine, boost our own war stocks and deepen our military capability. The proposals by James Cartlidge, the procurement minister, to overhaul the equipment programme should be implemented immediately to get best value from this new money. While the size of the armed forces — regular and reserve — are important, the immediate priority is equipment and ammunition.

Rishi Sunak’s commitment puts our enemies on notice that we