Slashing benefits to boost defence spending backed by nearly two thirds of adults, LBC poll reveals

21 March 2025, 06:00 | Updated: 21 March 2025, 06:27

• Brits back cutting welfare to further boost defence spending (57% vs 43%) - but a big divide emerges between different generations on whether this is the right move
• Only 40% of Gen Z (18-26) respondents stated their approval for the prime minister’s peacekeeping plan, compared to 59% of over-75s.
• Less than a third of voters stated confidence in the Prime Minister to keep the country safe

A majority of Brits back slashing the benefits bill in order to fund defence spending, according to new research by LBC.

Almost 2,000 people responded to LBC’s poll with More in Common, with nearly 60% of Brits favouring the idea of raiding the welfare state to bolster the military’s coffers.

This included a majority of Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Reform voters - in spite of mounting anger about the changes to Personal Independence Payments announced earlier this week.

Last month, the government committed to stumping up extra cash to reinforce Britain’s defence capabilities. Sir Keir Starmer announced that defence spending will reach 2.5% of GDP by 2027, financing the rise by reallocating funds from the foreign aid budget.

However, the prime minister also said that spending would escalate even further - to 3% of GDP - in the next parliament, raising questions about how precisely this will be financed.

At £236bn, the cost of social security was five times higher than the defence budget in 2023/24.

Asked whether he’d consider cuts to the welfare state to hit that target, Sir Keir did not rule out taking such a measure, instead stressing the importance of defence investment as a vehicle for generating growth.

Read more: Putin would face 'severe consequences' for breaching a ceasefire, warns PM

“What's really important is that we've announced the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War,” the prime minister said on a visit to a defence manufacturer in Barrow.

“I'm determined that what we need to do on our defence and security translates into jobs and security across the country and making people better off.”

Whilst a majority of the public support the principle of moving funds from welfare to warfare, there was a sharp generational divide in LBC’s findings.

A stonking 75% of those over the age 75 favoured the move, whereas a majority of those from Gen Z (18-26 year-olds) thought benefits should not be curbed to fund defence.

Indeed, the difference in opinion between the oldest and youngest in our society was a consistent theme in LBC’s findings.

Most notably, there was a sharp generational divide when it came to Sir Keir Starmer’s proposals for British troops to form part of a peacekeeping operation in Ukraine if there is a deal between Kyiv and Moscow, with 40% of Gen Z (18-26) respondents stating their approval for the plan, compared to 59% of over-75s.

Overall, nearly half of the public expressed support for Sir Keir’s plan, with only a quarter opposed.

Yesterday, military leaders from around 30 countries attended a conference at the UK's Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood to discuss operational details of how a peacekeeping force in Ukraine would work.

It is not clear how many of the so-called “coalition of the willing” would join the UK and France in sending soldiers to Ukraine if the plan was implemented.

The poll also revealed that, despite his growing stature on the international stage, Sir Keir has not received widespread trust from the public as to whether he can keep the country safe from hostile states such as Russia, with only three in ten saying they had confidence in the prime minister to do so.