UK plans to spend £1.5bn on construction of munitions factories

That is according to details of the government’s new Strategic Defence Review, which will see the UK gradually increase its spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

The factories, whose locations have not yet been revealed, will produce munitions and energetics, which are key components of weapons, including propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics.

Defence Secretary, John Healey said, “The hard-fought lessons from Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind them.

“We are strengthening the UK’s industrial base to better deter our adversaries and make the UK secure at home and strong abroad.”

Among a raft of other announcements, including the commitment to 12 new attack submarines, was a pledge to spend an extra £1.5 billion to fund repairs to military housing.

The government said that the move meant it would spend more than £7 billion (€8.3 billion) on military accommodation during this Parliament.

Work will involve urgent repairs and maintenance, alongside the development of new housing for the armed forces, as part of unlocking wider potential for housing development on surplus Ministry of Defence (MOD) land.