A new report from the National Education Union argues that decisions about defence spending must be weighed against their impact on education, public services and international development.
The Security We Choose: The opportunity cost of UK military spending on education and human security(attached) examines what the UK’s commitment to increasing core defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035 could mean for other areas of public expenditure. It also asks who will bear the costs.
The NEU recognises that the UK Government must be able to respond to genuine military threats. However, the report argues that security cannot be achieved via military spending alone. It makes the case for a broader, people-centred approach to security. It highlights the vital role that education and public services, international cooperation and diplomacy play in building sustainable security.
Ahead of the autumn Budget, the NEU is calling on the government to protect and increase investment in education and public services rather than fund rising defence spending through cuts.
The union argues that these are not competing priorities but priorities that will contribute to social cohesion and security.
Key statistics
- The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that meeting the government’s defence spending target by 2035 will require £36 billion a year in additional spending in current terms (from a 2025 baseline).
- Spending power for mainstream schools in England has fallen by £4.5 billion and experienced teacher pay has fallen by more than a fifth in real terms since 2010.
- International development has been hit heavily to fund the initial increase in defence spending, with £4.8 billion shifted away from the official development assistance budget in 2026-27, and a further £6.5 billion due to be moved from development to defence in 2027-28.
- Just 1.5 days of global military spending in 2025 would be enough to fund an entire year of the amount governments gave in aid to education globally.
New NEU analysis shows what £36 billion could achieve if such an investment was dedicated to education:
- Reverse real-terms losses to school spending power in England (£4.5 billion)
- Eliminate the 2026-27 SEND funding gap for local authorities (£3.7 billion)
- Clear the maintenance backlog for all schools in England (£13.8 billion)
- Fund universal free school meals through year 11 (£3 billion)
- Restore overseas aid to education to peak levels (£1 billion)
- Fill the funding shortfall for music education (£0.2 billion)
Commenting on the report, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The NEU has had to fight hard for every additional pound invested in education after years of austerity and underfunding. Yet, when it comes to ever increasing military spending, public spending constraints become a secondary issue.
“An additional £36 billion per year is at risk of being taken from government departments and stretched public services to meet the government’s commitment to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2035. That same level of investment could transform educational opportunities for millions of children.
“The NEU is deeply concerned by the impacts of armed conflicts around the world. Schools are being destroyed, education is being interrupted, and humanitarian crises are deepening. The UK government has slashed overseas aid by 40 per cent to fund its initial increase in defence spending, cutting support for education and development programmes that are vital to building peace and long-term security.
“Defence spending is a choice. Funding education is a choice. Ahead of the Budget we urge the government to invest in education, public services and international development as the foundations of a safer, fairer and more secure world.”
Editor’s Note
The report will be available once the embargo lifts.