UK ramps up defence budget and Europe's 'fight for peace'

Investment in air defences, naval ships and drones will be top of the Ministry of Defence's "shopping list" after the government confirmed an increase in spending on Tuesday, the i newspaper reports. Sir Keir Starmer committed to ramping up the military budget to 2.7% by 2027 amid fears the US could draw down its military support for Europe.

The Guardian's headline quotes Starmer, who said the UK must be willing to "fight for peace" in Europe amid the ongoing threat posed by Vladimir Putin. The government has framed the defence spending increase as the largest since the Cold War.

The Daily Mail hones in on the fact the government is funding the defence spending increase by cutting the foreign budget. During his Commons statement confirming the rise, Sir Keir Starmer warned the world was entering an "era of hard power" - a quote which the Mail features in its headline.

The Daily Mirror's splash reflects anger among the development sector that the international aid budget will be cut in order to pay for new military capabilities. It says the Treasury will "swipe billions" from the aid budget to fund the £13.4bn defence boost.

Defence is the main topic on the front page of the Daily Telegraph too, which carries an op-ed from Chancellor Rachel Reeves urging other European countries to increase defence spending. She will raise the issue with her continental counterparts at a meeting of the G20 in South Africa scheduled for later this week.

The Financial Times leads on the news that Ukraine and the US have agreed a deal giving American firms access to the war-torn nation's deposits of valuable rare earth minerals. It says the financial agreement could pave the way for the White House to sign off security guarantees for Ukraine.

Officials in Kyiv have said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Washington in the coming days to signs the deal, the Times reports. Trump has repeatedly pushed for an access agreement to Ukraine's mines as a means of recompense for the billions of dollars of aid the US committed to Ukraine's efforts to repel invading Russian forces.

Almost 50,000 babies aged two or younger are referred to children's care services because of domestic abuse fears, the Metro reports. It cites research carried out by charity For The Baby's Sake, which warns the figures still do not cover the full scale of the abuse.

The Daily Express dedicates its front page to calls from the families of farmers for the government to reverse its inheritance tax plans. The agriculture industry has been strongly critical of a Treasury decision to cap inheritance tax relief for farms at £1m. Ministers say the reform will only impact a small minority of estates.

The Daily Star leads on comments made by Boris Johnson, who has accused Donald Trump of telling "flat out lies" about the war in Ukraine. "Liar says liar is a liar" is how the paper frames the former prime minister's criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer's decision to increase spending on defence is the main story on most of Wednesday's front pages. The i newspaper says it is the "biggest rise in UK military spending since the Cold War".

The paper goes on to say that investment in air defences, naval ships and drones will be top of what it calls the "shopping list". Writing in the Daily Mirror, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner says the threats the UK now faces are more serious and less predictable than at any time in a generation.

The Guardian's headline quotes Sir Keir, who says the UK must be willing to "fight for peace" in Europe amid the ongoing threat posed by Vladimir Putin. But the paper says there is fury among relief agencies that the increase will be paid for by "slashing" the foreign aid budget. The Times reports that some of the prime minister's own MPs have branded this decision "short sighted".

The Daily Telegraph says Chancellor Rachel Reeves is calling on Europe to "step up" and increase defence spending too. She says she will raise the issue with European allies in the coming days, including at a meeting of G20 finance ministers in South Africa.

The front page of the Financial Times focuses on Ukraine's deal with the US over its mineral reserves. The paper says Kyiv is ready to sign the agreement after the White House dropped demands for a right to $500bn in potential revenue from exploiting the resources.

The Times reports that universities are being told to "stress test" their exams to ensure they cannot be completed using artificial intelligence, as the number of undergraduates using ChatGPT soars. Research from the Higher Education Policy Institute suggests the proportion of students who have used AI in at least one way has jumped from 66 to 92 per cent in a year.

Several papers pick up on Queen Camilla's disclosure that she has adopted a rescue puppy called Moley, two months after the death of her beloved rescue terrier Beth. The Telegraph says the Queen revealed the details about the latest addition to the family when speaking to a fellow dog lover at an official engagement on Tuesday. The Mirror dubs the puppy's new home "Buckingham Paw-lace".

And "calmageddon" declares the Sun after experts said an asteroid previously thought to have had a small chance of colliding with the Earth in seven years' time, now poses no significant threat. The paper labels the development "orbit of good news".

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