Daily Express, on UK Politics, 8 November 2026

3.0out of 10Minor

Are you happy to pay more taxes to increase UK defence spending? Have your say

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Are you happy to pay more taxes to increase UK defence spending? Have your say Would you be willing to pay more tax to increase UK defence spending? Have your say in our poll below. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments POLL By Lauran O'Toole , Senior Reporter 06:30, Sun, Nov 8, 2026 Healey could be forced to raise taxes to fund an increase in UK defence spending (Image: Getty) John Healey may be forced to hike taxes as pressure mounts on the Chancellor to increase defence spending.

Healy quit as defence secretary under Keir Starmer’s government back in June over a long-delayed military spending ban. In a scathing resignation letter, he said the then prime minister had been "unable" and the Treasury "unwilling" to "commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats". However, the now-Chancellor failed to outline a clear plan for meeting the UK’s target of spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 and defence Secretary Wes Streeting denied "kicking the can down the road" on defence spending.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Instead, Healey said he will hold off until next year’s spending review before presenting a plan to meet Labour’s pledge of devoting 3.5% of GDP to defence by 2035. A new report by the Resolution Foundation, Thin End of the Wedge, warns that he would struggle to raise the £28bn a year needed to fulfil the pledge without increasing taxes on average workers. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the Chancellor’s proposal to review the issue next year, describing it as a “plan to have a plan”.

She said: “He should have set out a plan for 3% today. So now , he has failed his own test. Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family . Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over.

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . Would you be willing to pay more tax to increase UK defence spending? Have your say in our poll below: Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Police issue major update as boy, 3, fighting for life after horror nursery emergency Boy, 3, fighting for life after horror emergency at UK nursery | UK | News | Express.co.uk “This is on him and no-one will ever forget.

If he had any decency he would resign again today. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT “What he’s done is he’s given himself a bit of breathing space until next year. Instead what we have is a plan to have a plan. I bet Putin’s really scared now.” NATO members have agreed to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence, with an additional 1.5% on broader defence and security-related investments such as protection of key infrastructure and resilience.

NATO Defence Taxes John Healey Polls Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments

Read the original article on express.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
What we found (1)

The Daily Express runs a reader poll on paying more tax for defence, built around John Healey's decision to delay a plan for higher defence spending. It attributes the tax warning to a named think tank and the political attacks to Kemi Badenoch. Its one weakness is that Badenoch's charges take up most of the quoted space with no reply from Healey or the Treasury.

  1. One side gets the space

    Minor

    “he is the man who is increasing risk to personnel on operations, he is the man who is making our country less safe”

    Why this matters
    The Express gives Kemi Badenoch a long run of quotation, running across several paragraphs. She says the Chancellor is "increasing risk to personnel on operations" and "making our country less safe".
    The impression it gives
    A reader comes away with the Opposition leader's charge that the Chancellor has made the country less safe as the main verdict on his decision.
    The context
    The quotes are attributed, so nothing is stated as fact. But the article quotes no response from Healey or the Treasury to these specific charges. Labour's side appears only as a one-line denial by Wes Streeting and a report that Healey will wait for next year's spending review.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“defence Secretary Wes Streeting denied "kicking the can down the road" on defence spending”

    Show it in the article

What it gets right

  • “A new report by the Resolution Foundation, Thin End of the Wedge, warns”

    The claim that defence pledges would need tax rises on average workers is attributed to a named report from a named think tank, not stated in the outlet's own voice.

  • “NATO members have agreed to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence”

    It gives the reader the NATO commitment behind the spending target, so the figures in the debate have a stated base.

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