The UK government should redirect military industry resources towards addressing the climate crisis and improving the domestic economy, a report from the Common Wealth think tank has urged.

In 2023, global military spending reached $2.4tn, with the UK ranking sixth in spending, allocating more funds as a proportion of GDP than peers such as France and Germany. Furthermore, there is cross-party consensus to increase military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2025.

The report, A Lucas Plan for the twenty first century, is based on 21 extended interviews with current and former workers in the UK’s military industry. It urges the government to adopt an alternative strategy that would repurpose parts of the UK’s military industry towards civilian sectors with a focus on green manufacturing.

Currently, the UK arms industry is heavily subsidised by the state and primarily serves military customers in the Gulf states.

“Even without accounting for the planned increase of military spending to 2.5% of GDP...