Research briefing setting out the government’s commitments covering defence and the armed forces for the House of Lords debate on the 2024 King’s Speech.
King's Speech 2024: Defence (379 KB , PDF)
The Labour Party’s general election manifesto contended that the world has become a more dangerous place, in which threats to the UK’s safety and security have multiplied and diversified. It cited a rise in geopolitical tensions across the globe, not least the current war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, and the growing emergence of hybrid warfare, including cyber-attacks and misinformation campaigns which seek to subvert the UK’s democracy.
The manifesto pledged several measures to increase the UK’s safety and security and to increase the effectiveness of the armed forces. They included a pledge to conduct a new strategic defence review and to increase defence spending targets. Labour will also introduce organisational changes including to establish a military strategic headquarters and a national armaments director. Labour has also pledged to strengthen the UK’s multilateral and bilateral alliances, including maintaining support for NATO and striking new bilateral deals with the EU and individual nations including Germany and France.
Labour has also pledged to measures to increase support for current service personnel and veterans, including implementing the recommendations of the Kerslake Review of military housing. Further, Labour has pledged to improve defence procurement through a new defence industrial strategy and to introduce a ‘NATO test’ to be applied to all future procurement.
Finally, Labour has committed to maintaining the UK’s nuclear deterrent and support for Ukraine. This includes matching the commitments outlined by the previous Conservative administration on military aid for Ukraine, and new commitments already announced following Labour’s general election win.
The Library’s briefings for the King’s Speech draw on the Labour Party’s manifesto and other material in the public domain. They have been written in advance of the 2024 King’s Speech to help members of the House of Lords prepare for the debate on the speech. They do not constitute official information about the government’s intentions or provide a complete list of bills to be announced.
King's Speech 2024: Defence (379 KB , PDF)
The Financial Assistance to Ukraine Bill is a two-clause government bill that would authorise the government to provide loans and other financial assistance to Ukraine resulting from the extraordinary revenue acceleration (ERA) loans agreement made at the meeting of the G7 and the EU in June 2024. It has been designated as a money bill and it completed its House of Commons stages on 18 December 2024 with broad cross-party support.
The House of Lords committee on international relations and defence has called on the government to remain alert to emerging changes in the Arctic and to regularly assess whether its strategy towards the region is “appropriately calibrated”. In a report published in 2023, the committee suggested the Arctic was experiencing significant change and was no longer a region of low-tension. It argued the situation was critical to UK interests.
The House of Lords European Affairs Committee welcomed the EU and UK response to the war in Ukraine “in general terms”. In its January 2024 report, the committee said some areas of UK-EU cooperation had been broadly effective. The committee said the report’s aim was to consider a longer-term approach and make recommendations to strengthen the UK-EU response. It called for more formal arrangements in several security and foreign policy areas.
