Starmer prepares for leadership battle as Streeting declares UK must rejoin EU Politics Prime minister Keir Starmer is expected to approve an £18bn increase in defence spending, as he prepares to battle for his political survival. Senior defence insiders said the investment would enable the armed forces to modernise and prepare to fight a future war. According to reports in The Times, national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, has [...]
BT bags five-year digital contract with BAE Systems Tech BT has signed a five-year deal with BAE Systems to provide secure connectivity across the defence giant’s global operations, as military contractors ramp up digital infrastructure spend. The contract will see BT support BAE’s network across 40 countries, with an option to extend the partnership by an additional three years. The deal comes as BAE, [...]
London-listed defence contractors shed light on impact of wartime economy on City firms Markets Two major London-listed defence companies shed fresh light on the sector’s performance during the current bout of geopolitical turmoil on Wednesday, offering insight into the reach of the war time economy into the City. FTSE 100 constituent Babcock International made it onto the top-tier share index’s leaderboard after it unveiled plans to return £200m to [...]
Babcock shares shrug off profit drop after £140m hit May 13, 2026 Defence giant Babcock took a £140m hit in the last financial year, which helped drag down the blue-chip firm’s profit growth. The FTSE 100 company recorded revenue of £5.3bn, marking 10 per cent growth compared to the previous financial year. It also announced another round of bumper returns with a £200m share buyback. It came [...]
Exclusive: Ajax tank maker handed £12m from MoD despite trial pause May 7, 2026 The company behind the failed Ajax tank was paid more than £12m in the period trials were paused, City AM can reveal, laying bare the scale of dysfunction inside national defence procurement. General Dynamics continued to receive taxpayer cash in the period between late November and this week, the time where the government intervened to [...]
This accidental Finnish defence startup can teach the UK some lessons May 7, 2026 The UK is home to some of the world's most significant defence companies, but also its most inefficient procurement systems, writes Eliot Wilson.
UK to join EU Ukraine loan talks in defence push May 3, 2026 The UK is set to begin negotiations to join the European Union’s €90bn (£78bn) loan scheme for Ukraine, as Keir Starmer steps up efforts to deepen defence cooperation with European allies. Speaking ahead of a summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in Yerevan, Armenia, the prime minister is expected to signal Britain’s intention to [...]
Donald Tusk says Nato is falling apart May 2, 2026 Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has said Nato is suffering from an “ongoing disintegration” amid pressures on governments to increase defence spending. In a post on X, the former EU council president indicated a war of words between President Trump and Chancellor Merz of Germany, which led to the US taking 5,000 soldiers out of [...]
Chip makers and defence contractors power profit upgrade for London tech stock Renishaw April 20, 2026 London-listed engineer Renishaw upped its profit guidance on Monday, sending its shares to the top of the FTSE 250, helped by demand from defence contractors and chipmakers. The Gloucestershire-based precision tech firm is known for its precision equipment used in the lithography process of making microprocessors. On Monday, it pointed to “a substantial expansion” of [...]
Can Volkswagen really pivot to defence? April 17, 2026 Can Volkswagen really pivot into defence? Saskia Koopman examines whether one of Europe’s great industrial names can reinvent itself for an era of rearmament. For most of its eight-decade history, Volkswagen has stood as a symbol of Europe’s industrial might – churning cars out at scale and underpinning entire regional economies. But at the company’s [...]