The British government may be saying as little as possible to upset Donald Trump but it is still frantically reassessing the UK’s place in the world, with implications for Ireland, North and South.

Much of this has manifested itself as a fresh debate over Brexit, directly and indirectly connected to defence.

The UK wants to participate in European rearmament. More importantly, it wants to boost its economy so it can afford its own rearmament and improve its global standing in general. Since 2021, it has slipped from third to 12th place within Nato on defence spending as a percentage of GDP. A target of doubling the current 2.4 per cent level by 2035 is considered both laggardly and implausible. Prime minister Keir Starmer has claimed defence spending will be “an engine of economic growth”.

Although defence can deliver long-term growth through technological advancement, and localised growth in regions with large defence industries, it is dead money on a short-term, national scale – spent on personnel and equipment that will hopefully never be used.

Military and political leaders have said the UK should cut its welfare bill to fund defence. While there may be good arguments for that approach, boosting growth is not among them. Welfare spending is the most effective........

© The Irish Times