Rachel Reeves has set out her spending review in the House of Commons. It outlines how much funding individual government departments will receive over the next three years and state infrastructure investment for the next four years. The last spending review took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and before that, in 2015. Politics latest: Follow live updates. Here’s what’s been announced:
Defence
A major recipient of funds is the Ministry of Defence. Defence spending will rise from 2.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 2.6% by 2027. An £11bn uplift and a £600m uplift for security and intelligence agencies. Within that, there’ll be £4.5bn of investment in munitions made in Glasgow and more than £6bn to upgrade to nuclear submarine production.
NHS
The chancellor announced an extra £29bn a year will be spent on the NHS, an annual rise of 3% on current levels. She says she is increasing the NHS technology budget by almost 50%, and £10bn to bring the "analogue health system into the digital age".
Asylum and border security
The chancellor says border security funding will increase, with up to £280m more per year by the end of the spending review for the new Border Security Command. She said the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will end the costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers by 2029. The chancellor says funding she has announced today, including from the transformation fund, will also cut the asylum backlog, see more appeal cases heard and "return people who have no right to be here". This will save the taxpayer £1bn a year, she says.
Education and training
The chancellor confirms that free school meals will be extended to over half a million more children. She says the policy alone will lift 100,000 children out of poverty. Nearly £2.3bn a year will go to fix crumbling classrooms. A further £2.4bn will go to rebuild 500 schools. Another record investment amount was announced by Ms Reeves for training and upskilling – £1.2bn a year by the end of the spending review will go to support more than a million young people into training and apprenticeships. School-based nurseries have been given £370m. The core schools budget is rising by £3.5bn a year.
Housing
Government funding of social and affordable housing has been allocated £39bn, over the next 10 years – which Ms Reeves called the "biggest cash injection into social housing in 50 years". She says she is providing an additional £10bn for financial investments, including to be delivered through Homes England, to help unlock hundreds of thousands more homes.
Energy
A commitment to nuclear power was reiterated, with £30bn allocated. Of this, £14.2bn is being poured into the Sizewell C nuclear power station – which was announced earlier this week – on the Suffolk coastline. A total of £14bn will go to the Sizewell C nuclear power plant. Another £2.5bn will be invested in a new small modular reactor programme.
Science and technology
The chancellor says she wants the country’s high-tech industries in Britain to continue to lead the world in the years to come. Research and development funding will go to a record high of £22bn a year by the end of the spending period.
Artificial Intelligence
The chancellor has backed "home-grown AI" with a £2bn investment. She says the technology has the potential to "solve diverse and daunting challenges" and create "good jobs".
Transport
The chancellor announced £15bn for new rail, tram, and bus networks across the West Midlands and the North. She’s also green-lit a new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester. She says investments in buses, train stations, metro lines, and transit will be made in places including Rochdale, Merseyside, Birmingham, and West Yorkshire. In London, Ms Reeves says there will be a "four-year settlement" for the Transport for London and a "fourfold increase" in local transport grants by the end of this parliament. As expected, the £3 bus cap has been extended to March 2027. It had been £2 up to the end of 2024.
Justice
To fund 14,000 new prison places, £7bn will be invested, with £700m a year going to reform the probation system. In order to reach the goal of 13,000 more police officers in England and Wales, £2bn will be allocated.
Nations
On the nations of the UK, the chancellor announced:
- Scotland has been allocated £52bn
- Northern Ireland has been allocated £20bn
- Wales has been allocated £23bn.