Can the UK boost defence spending – and which stocks might benefit if it does?

The UK’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will boost UK defence spending to £80 billion by 2029 – but that figure is still set to fall short of the NATO target of 5% of GDP.It sits nonetheless in the context of rising defence spending across the world.“Global military expenditure hit a record $2.9 trillion in 2025, the 11th consecutive year of growth,” Tom Bailey, head of research at ETF issuer HANetf, told MoneyWeek (citing figures from the Stockholm International Pea