Exclusive: Count Climate Spending As Part Of Defence Budget, Say Greens

Spending on climate change should count towards the government’s defence budget, according to the Greens.

HuffPost UK can reveal that the party believes Labour should “broaden its lens on defence spending and be more realistic about the threats facing us” amid rising fears over global warming.

Keir Starmer unveiled his long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) on Tuesday, setting out plans to boost the defence budget by an additional £15 billion by the end of the decade.

But he did not explain how the government plans to hit its target of spending 3.5% of national income on defence by 2035.

It has since emerged there is a £4.7bn black hole in that defence uplift, too.

HuffPost UK has learned that the Greens believe funds to protect Britain against the changing climate should be part of that defence spending.

It comes after record-breaking temperatures in June, causing widespread disruption to life in the UK.

A party source told HuffPost UK: “Climate preparedness is the black hole at the heart of the current conversation about defence spending.

“Climate breakdown is a huge and imminent threat but currently the government seems to be totally asleep at the wheel when it comes to the impact on our security.

“Spain is a very interesting example, where they’re looking at using the defence spending budget to combat climate impacts.”

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez called for a wider definition of defence spending to include cyber security, anti-terrorism and efforts to combat climate change last year.

When the Trump administration first began pressuring Nato allies to pay more for its own security, Sanchez warned policymakers had to recognise the “real threat of the climate emergency in the Mediterranean”.

He said in May 2025 that 17% of that year’s military spending would go towards natural disaster relief.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski told HuffPost UK: “Thinking about security only in terms of military spending is incredibly short sighted.

“We face a number of serious, overlapping threats from cyber-warfare to the climate crisis and there is little evidence the government is taking seriously this full spectrum – especially given they tried to suppress a report on the huge risks posed by the collapse of ecosystems.

“The impact of extreme heat in the last week alone shows how vulnerable we are to the impacts of the climate and nature crisis.

“Infrastructure breaking down, schools and hospitals overheated, and serious risks to life. And yet the government seems to have no plan for dealing with this urgent threat.

“Any prime minister committed to keeping the people of this country safe must look at security in the round, which means not cutting investment in other areas to fund military spending but investing to boost resilience in all areas from cyber-security to our food systems.”

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