Prime Minister’s remarks at the London Defence Conference: 8 May 2025
Prime Minister’s speech at the London Defence Conference this morning.
It is a real privilege to be able to speak to you here today on VE Day.
80 years to the day…
Since an expectant nation turned on the wireless – as of course it was then…
To hear Churchill announce victory in our war against Nazi Germany.
Just imagine it.
Beacons lit across the country…
Bunting up…
People raising their glasses and thanking the bravery of our armed forces…
As we will do today.
And then they came to the streets.
The late Queen Elizabeth II – who was then a young princess of just 19 –
Remembering going unnoticed in the crowds, swept up in a ‘tide of happiness and relief’.
A celebration of defiance…
Of sacrifice…
The courage of that lion-hearted generation…
The greatest victory in the history of this great nation.
A victory not just for Britain.
But for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil…
For the light of our values – in a world that tried to put them out.
And, as you know…
There are people who would happily do likewise today.
Our values and security are confronted on a daily basis.
And we have to rise to this moment.
80 years ago, just round the corner from here, Churchill said…
“We must begin the task of rebuilding…
Do our utmost to make this country a land in which all have a chance…
And in which all have a duty to our countrymen”.
The post-war generation took on that task on with relish.
And we must use this moment…
To do the same.
Deepening our partnerships with allies old and new –
From across Europe to meet the defence challenges of our age…
To the United States…
an indispensable ally for our economic and national security…
As you know, talks with the US have been ongoing – and you’ll hear more about that later today.
But make no mistake – I will always act in our national interest…
For workers, businesses and families…
To deliver security and renewal for our country.
Because the world has changed, decisively.
I mean, I remember – as some of you will also too…
The day the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.
A landmark moment for my generation.
A sense of freedom, of possibility, of peace.
European countries finally free to choose their own future.
I didn’t think then that in my lifetime I would see Russian tanks entering a European country again.
Yet here we are.
And here we stand resolutely…
With the people of Ukraine.
Together with our allies…
Showing the strength of our values…
As well as the value of our strength.
A few weeks ago, I was with the Prime Minister of New Zealand…
To visit our forces delivering Operation INTERFLEX in Wiltshire.
This is a multinational military operation…
That has trained more than 50,000 Ukrainian troops for the frontline.
Men and women who are not soldiers by trade…
Far from it.
They are accountants, they are builders, businesspeople, you name it.
Who stepped up from their lives…
Stepped away from their families…
And, as veterans did eighty years ago…
Answered the call to defend freedom and liberty in their homeland.
And as these brave men and women leave their training in Britain…
And head to the frontline of freedom…
They are applauded by their British trainers.
I’ve seen this a couple of times now – it’s a really humbling sight.
A sign of our support and solidary in their struggle…
Pride and admiration at their courage.
Because in this country we know - this isn’t just a fight for freedom and democracy in Ukraine.
No – it is a new, more dangerous era of history.
A period of global instability…
That fuels insecurity for working people here at home.
The British people have already paid a price for Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, with rising bills and prices.
Russia already menaces our security…
They’ve launched cyber-attacks on our NHS.
Spread disinformation online…
And we cannot forget, just a few years ago – a chemical weapons attack on our streets in Salisbury.
In broad daylight, in the heart of England.
No - the battle lines in Ukraine are the front line for Western values.
And the argument that defines this age is simple…
National security is economic security.
And that is why we are boosting defence spending, with the largest sustained increase since the Cold War…
An increase of £13.4bn year on year compared with where we are today.
Not just meeting our commitment to spend 2.5% of our GDP on defence…
But bringing it forward to 2027.
And, alongside that, a new ambition for defence spending to rise to 3% of GDP in the next Parliament.
But look, I do want to be clear - this investment has two objectives.
Yes of course, the first goal is always the safety and security of the United Kingdom.
But the second is to create jobs, wealth and opportunity in every corner of our country.
Secure at home, strong abroad.
You know – at times like this there is a lot of talk about the end of the peace dividend.
Well, our task now is to seize the defence dividend.
Felt directly in the pockets of working people.
Rebuilding our industrial base.
Creating the jobs of the future.
The skills for the next generation…
From the shipyards in Scotland…
To the missile systems built in Stevenage and Belfast….
The artillery barrels made at Sheffield forgemasters…
And the land vehicle development in Wales…
Mark my words – the British defence industry will be the engine of national renewal.
Because this isn’t just about increasing our defence spending…
It’s also about reform and rebuilding.
And in the coming weeks, we will publish a first-of-its kind, root and branch strategic defence review…
It will scrutinise every aspect of defence - to determine how we can best meet the threats of today…
And return Britain to warfighting readiness.
Alongside our National Security Strategy and our defence industrial strategy…
We will set out a major overhaul of the British Armed Services…
Starting by treating our Armed Forces with the respect that they deserve –
delivering the largest pay rise for over 20 years…
And good homes for service personnel and their families.
But also - the biggest shift in mindset in my lifetime –
To see security and defence…
Not as one priority amongst many others…
But as the central organising principle of government –
The first thought in the morning – the last at night…
The pillar on which everything else stands or falls.
Because – as in 1945…
This has to be a collective endeavour.
A national effort.
A time for the state, business and society to join hands…
In pursuit of the security of the nation…
And the prosperity of its people.
So whether you’re a world-renowned business…
Or a smaller, family-run firm…
You have a vital part to play in boosting Britain’s defences.
That is why we have launched a new unit - to help SMEs get their foot in the door of the defence supply chain.
Because I am clear – the future belongs to the innovators.
Take the announcement made just last week…
StormShroud drones…
Flying as uncrewed guardians to RAF pilots and crew…
Now, for the first time, made in Britain.
An investment that supports hundreds of highly skilled jobs…
Boosting our capabilities for the modern age of drone-based warfare.
Possible - only because of industry and military working together.
Or take the submarines that we’re building in Barrow.
This one is personal for me.
Not just because I was there in Barrow at the keel laying in March –
Not just because I met the workers and the apprentices and saw for myself what it means for them…
And of course the 42,000 jobs it supports up and down the country…
It’s also personal for me because just a few days before that visit…
I went up to the Firth of Clyde, as another boat made in Barrow –
A Vanguard-class submarine…
Was coming in off a record-breaking patrol.
We boarded the sub and met the crew – who had been at sea for months on end.
And meeting those remarkable men and women is something I’ll never forget.
There is no greater duty than the one that they carry –
No task more vital.
Our security…
Nato’s security…
Depends on them.
They are the quiet custodians of the nation’s greatest capability…
Part of an unbroken watch that has been maintained for 55 years.
And in this moment – it’s time for the rest of us to step up and rebuild our country…
Leading the world in the opportunities of the future.
Recently, I visited the Carrier Strike Group off the coast of Cornwall…
And stayed aboard HMS Prince of Wales…
It was frankly humbling to see F35s taking off with just 100metres of deck to take off - and then returning and hovering to land on a sixpence
So imagine how I felt later the very same day when I went to see the apprentices at Rolls Royce…Who had made the engines for those very F35s.
And we need to keep those apprentices busy…
And mark my words – we are going to do that.
With the most ambitious programme of work to secure and rebuild our country since 1945.
Take an example: today, I can announce a £563 million contract to maintain Britain’s fleet of Typhoon fighter jets.
The backbone of Britain’s air defence…
Proudly part of the flypast for VE Day that you may have seen on Monday.
All 130 Typhoons will have their engines maintained by Rolls-Royce…
Supporting hundreds of jobs in Bristol and beyond…
Defending British airspace.
Helping a new generation of service come of age.
And just imagine – what this means for a young apprentice, aged about 18.
Entering into the work force with a good job.
The pride of that work - as a proud I understand from my dad…
Of knowing that what you do, what you make matters.
The pride of following in the footsteps of local families…
Who have been the backbone of their communities for generations.
The grandchildren of the young men who fought on the beaches of Normandy…
Now the submariners on a Vanguard-class submarine.
The descendants of the code breakers at Bletchley…
Now learning the skills to build a new generation of nuclear submarines in Barrow.
And the pride of stepping into our national story…
So those who follow us can say…
We also rose to meet the moment.
We also stood firm against tyranny and oppression.
We also rebuilt Britain - so it serves everyone that serves our country.
Because on VE day 80 years ago…
Politicians of all parties and stripes understood that a people who had sacrificed so much were owed a great debt.
And the truth is – people today are too.
After years of being buffeted about by insecurity and uncertainty…
They are owed the same security…
the same prosperity and peace of mind…
A good home to live in…
A well-paid job with strong rights at work…
An NHS that is there for them when they need it…
all underpinned by the foundation of national security.
A defence dividend - that will be felt in the pockets of working people and the prosperity of the country.
An investment in peace…
But also an investment in British pride and the British people…
To build a nation that, once again, lives up to the promises made to that generation…
Who fought for our values, our freedom and our security.
Thank you very much indeed.