Rishi Sunak must boost UK's defence budget in wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine, says GB News poll

Rishi Sunak must boost UK's defence budget in wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine, says GB News poll
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Ben Chapman

By Ben Chapman


Published: 23/03/2022

- 10:24

A key issue that has arisen in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is defence spending, with leading figures such as Liz Truss calling for an increase

Rishi Sunak will take to the House of Commons with a series of new proposals that will underline his 2022 Spring Statement.

A key issue that has arisen in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is defence spending, with leading figures such as Liz Truss calling for an increase.


An exclusive GB News poll, carried out via Twitter on March 18, further backs an increase in spending.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak speaking during the Conservative Party Spring Forum at Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Picture date: Friday March 18, 2022.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak speaking during the Conservative Party Spring Forum at Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Picture date: Friday March 18, 2022.
Peter Byrne

Of 1,106 votes, 75.9 percent of respondents showed their support for an increase, with just 24.1 percent saying they do not want to see a rise in defence spending.

The Chancellor has previously defended the current state of Britain's defence spending, citing its status as the second-highest NATO spender.

Last year's Integrated Review also saw £24billion of new defence spending, something the Chancellor may take into consideration as he weighs up whether to allocate more defence funding.

GB News' poll suggests no new measures on defence would be an unpopular decision, with the majority of respondents backing a rise.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has hit out at Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine, an action which has undoubtedly resulted in further calls for a defence budget boost.

Image: GB News
Image: GB News

Mr Raab says the Russian President is "responsible for an illegal invasion, there is strong evidence of war crimes and we believe that those responsible must be held to account".

Speaking about Russia’s actions in Ukraine during Commons justice questions, Mr Raab warned “there will not be a peaceful settlement to this”, adding: “I think we all can agree that trusting Vladimir Putin to keep his word is going to be a very tall order for anyone in the international community, let alone President Zelenskyy, and there cannot just be a brushing under the carpet of atrocities committed now or in the future.”

Tune in to Beat the Squeeze: Spring Statement Live from 11am on GB News with Liam Halligan and Gloria De Piero as we bring you Rishi Sunak's statement and all the reaction.

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