From BBC UK today:

Delays in publishing a report laying out government defence spending have undermined the UK’s credibility with its allies, a parliamentary committee that scrutinises public spending says. The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) was supposed to be published in the autumn but is now due to be released ahead of a Nato summit early next month.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says the hold-up means procuring the latest equipment will be more expensive, “hindering the government’s attempt to modernise the Armed Forces”.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said the DIP would “fix the outdated, overcommitted and underfunded programme we inherited”, adding: “We are working hard to finalise it.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0ky47v6d1no

Lack of credibility with the UK’s partners is well known and well-reported but the media operating in Scotland fail to note that other lack of credibility, within the UK’s parts.

In August 2025:

Chancellor Rachel Reeves was all over ‘Scottish’ media in August 2025 with promises of ‘billions‘ to be invested in the Scottish economy via increased defence spending.

Leaving aside the fact that much of the spending will be on new hunter-killer submarines built in Cumbria, the reporting fails to mention this key fact:

Scotland’s share of UK defense spending is approximately 3.7% to 3.9% based on recent data. In 2021/22, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) spent £2.01 billion in Scotland out of a total UK defense expenditure of £53.9 billion in 2023/24. This equates to roughly 3.7% (£2.01 billion ÷ £53.9 billion). Another source from 2024 indicates £2.09 billion was spent in Scotland, which, against a projected UK defense budget of £56.9 billion for 2024/25, suggests a share of about 3.7% (£2.09 billion ÷ £56.9 billion). However, a 2023 source estimates Scotland’s share at around 4% of total UK defense expenditure, though this is not fully aligned with population share (Scotland’s population is ~8.1% of the UK’s). The variation in figures reflects differences in reporting years and spending definitions.

So, 8.1% of the population but only 3.9% of the defence spending, less than half what we should get for the revenue we send to the Treasury?

Only £2bn currently spent and this 0.3% increase in that will mean billions spent in Scotland? We’re talking peanuts aren’t we?

Sources:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/scotland-boosting-uk-with-more-than-2-billion-spend-in-defence-annually

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8175/

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-annual-defence-procurement-worth-more-than-2-billion-to-scotland