The Rising Price of Freedom – new report calls for 3.5% international spending ahead of budget
- CGP’s new report ‘The Rising Price of Freedom’ argues for an overall international budget of 3.5% of GDP to combat rising threats to UK security and prosperity.
- Increasing defence spending is not a silver bullet; the UK needs a strategic and integrated approach across defence, development and diplomacy.
- The deteriorating international operating environment is leading to a new cost of freedom, driven by increased complexity and uncertainty of transnational threats.
Ahead of the budget, the Coalition for Global Prosperity’s new report ‘The Rising Price of Freedom’ sets out the growing costs of security and prosperity from state-based threats such as Russia, to transnational issues like the impacts of climate change, and argues for an overall budget of 3.5% of GDP to combat these threats to UK security and prosperity.
In the last 5 years, we have witnessed a rapid escalation of threats and risks which undermine the security and prosperity of the UK, and of people across the world.
We have witnessed the return of armed conflict in Europe, with the brutal Russian attack on Ukraine. In the past year, the Middle East has gone from uneasy stability, to a rapidly escalated situation which threatens to spill out beyond the confines of national borders and has already resulted in vast humanitarian catastrophe.
The rising intensity and frequency of global conflicts pose a significant challenge to the UK, creating instability across borders and driving millions into humanitarian crises. These heightened geopolitical tensions are fragmenting partnerships at a time when global cooperation is more critical than ever. From health crises like antimicrobial resistance and pandemics to the urgent realities of climate change, the future demands a unified global response.
These uncomfortable global shifts have not gone unnoticed by the British public. Recent polling by YouGov shows that most Britons think a Third World War is likely in the next 5 to 10 years, with 80% seeing Russia as the biggest threat.
Ryan Henson, CEO of the Coalition for Global Prosperity, said:
“This report makes clear how tightly interconnected security, diplomacy, and development are; weakening one undermines the others. The issues we are facing cannot solely be resolved with increased defence spending”
The UK must step up as a global leader and invest in a comprehensive approach that ensures both our own and the world's long-term security and prosperity.”
Zoe Swanwick, researcher at the Coalition for Global Prosperity, said;
“At a time when global threats are escalating—from authoritarian aggression to climate crises—the UK cannot afford to retreat from its international responsibilities or its partners.
The cuts to development aid and the lack of firm government commitment to a proactive foreign policy are short-sighted and dangerous. This report makes it clear that security, diplomacy, and development are interconnected; weakening one undermines the others.”
To tackle these complex issues, we must strategically use the tools at our disposal. At the Coalition for Global Prosperity, we advocate for the "3Ds"—Defence, Development, and Diplomacy—working together to address global threats and prevent crises from reaching our shores.
This approach means we would not make the same mistake as Russia; disproportionate spending on the military without longer-term investment in other areas like development and diplomacy will not make the UK safer or more prosperous.
We are at a critical juncture. If we do not act now, the costs—both human and economic—will be far greater in the future. The UK must step up and invest in a comprehensive approach that ensures long-term security and prosperity, not just for our nation, but for the global community.
