The Liberal Democrats have unveiled a bold new plan to strengthen the UK’s defence capability by offering financial incentives to new and returning soldiers, alongside a national preparedness campaign aimed at helping households cope with the potential fallout from conflict or cyber-attacks.
Under the proposal, new army recruits would be awarded a £10,000 bonus after completing training and serving two years. In addition, former service members who rejoin for at least two years would receive £20,000. The Lib Dems say this targeted £60 million plan would increase the number of trained UK soldiers from just under 71,000 to more than 73,000.
The party’s leader, Sir Ed Davey, made the announcement after visiting Estonia, where British troops are stationed as part of NATO operations. Standing at what he described as the alliance’s “frontline with Russia”, Sir Ed warned that the UK must act swiftly in the face of global instability, citing “the threat of a barbaric Putin” and “the challenge of an erratic Trump”.
“It is clear that we need to do more to make Britain war-ready,” he said. “War readiness also starts at home. That’s why I’m calling for a public awareness campaign to prepare every British household for potential conflicts or hostile acts like cyber-attacks.”
The campaign would include distributing guidance on how to deal with national emergencies, including energy blackouts and communications disruptions.
The proposed incentive scheme would be limited to 3,000 personnel and would be funded from the existing Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget. It is built on the expectation that UK defence spending will rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 — a target supported by both the Labour Party and the current government.
To cover the cost of increased military spending, the Lib Dems suggest raising the Digital Services Tax on large tech companies, which currently generates around £800 million a year.
The Lib Dem plan comes amid widespread debate over the future size and shape of Britain’s armed forces. The Conservative government recently outlined a long-term goal of expanding the regular army to 76,000 soldiers by 2029, though this plan remains unfunded. Labour has also pledged to expand Active Reserves by 20%, but not until after 2030.
Meanwhile, the poor state of military accommodation remains a concern. A recent MoD survey revealed nearly one-third of troops are considering leaving the armed forces due to substandard housing. Both the government and opposition parties have promised to tackle the issue, with Labour proposing a housing association to manage military homes and the Conservatives committing £7 billion to regenerating defence estates by 2025.
