Rachel Reeves Unveils £2.2 Billion Defence Boost As She Vows To 'Secure Britain's Future'

Rachel Reeves leaves Downing Street with her Treasury team on the eve of her first Spring Statement as chancellor.

Rachel Reeves will use her first Spring Statement as chancellor to announce a £2.2 billion boost in defence spending.

The extra funding, which will be partly paid for by cuts to international aid, will be spent on new hi-tech weapons and better homes for military families.

Reeves will say that the extra military spending is needed to “secure Britain’s future in a world that is changing before our eyes”.