How Rishi Sunak's £75 billion defence spending pledge will fire up Britain's forces: Biggest boost...

Troop numbers should be boosted and Typhoon fighter jets kept flying with the extra defence spending announced by the Prime Minister yesterday, senior defence figures say.

He suggested that, in a few years, the UK should invest in an integrated air and missile defence system to protect it from enemies.Mr Heappey, who backed the Mail's Don't Leave Britain Defenceless campaign after leaving office, welcomed the opportunities the investment would bring, in the current period of global turbulence.

The Army is due to shrink to just 73,000 regular troops by next year. With extra cash, the headcount could push back up towards 83,000. The Mail understands £10billion has already been set aside to pay for weapons to replace those gifted to Ukraine. Former defence minister Mark Francois said some of the money should be spent on retaining 30 Tranche 1 Typhoon fighter jets, which are due to be withdrawn from service in 2025.

He said he 'warmly welcomes' the Prime Minister's announcement, adding: 'We need to use part of this significant new investment to rebuild our air defences.' It is a major victory for the Mail's Don't Leave Britain Defenceless Campaign, which was launched after military spending missed out in last month's budget. It also draws a potential election dividing line with Labour.

'That is why today I am announcing the biggest strengthening of our national defence for a generation. The move follows intense criticism from Tory MPs and defence experts who said the UK was moving too slowly to raise spending from its current level of 2.3 per cent of GDP. Writing in the Mail today, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps hails this paper's 'brilliant' campaign on the issue.

Advertisement Government sources said the defence budget would now rise in real terms every year to the end of the decade, increasing from £64.6billion this year to £87.1billion by 2030.

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