What does the pledge mean?

Strategic Defence Reviews are papers in which governments outline their upcoming defence priorities and strategic interests, and look at the organisation and capabilities of the armed forces. They have taken place at least once a decade since the 1957 Sandys Review.

The most recent was the Integrated Review 2021, which was updated in 2023 as the Integrated Review Refresh 2023 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Under the refreshed review, defence funding in the UK increased by an additional £5 billion over two years. 

Labour’s first year of government ends on 5 July 2025, one year after Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister on 5 July 2024. The wording of the pledge doesn’t make it entirely clear whether “conduct” the review means it will begin, take place or be completed by 5 July 2025. But when Full Fact asked the Ministry of Defence about this in October 2024, it told us “the document will be published with the recommendations in the first half of next year”.

What progress has been made?

This pledge appears to be on track. 

On 16 July 2024, the government announced a new Strategic Defence Review (SDR), overseen by defence secretary John Healey, led by former defence secretary and NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, and headed by two other “external Reviewers”—General Sir Richard Barrons and Dr Fiona Hill. Other people on the team have since been announced.

According to the SDR’s terms of reference, it will “determine the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats and opportunities of the twenty-first century”, and it “should” cover themes such as “the opportunities for modernisation and transformation, and greater productivity”, “the approach to recruiting, educating, training and retaining the people needed for One Defence” and “the state of the defence technological and industrial base”. A call for evidence closed on 30 September 2024.

The government also said the SDR aims to “ensure the UK continues to lead in NATO”, “strengthen UK homeland security”, “bolster Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression” and “modernise and maintain the nuclear deterrent”.

The government has said that the final report will be made to the Prime Minister, chancellor and defence secretary, with recommendations, “in the first half of 2025”. There will be reports on progress to them “regularly” in the meantime, and the defence secretary will “subsequently report the SDR to Parliament”.