UK vows defense spending boost by 2030 but dodges hard questions

LONDON — The U.K. chancellor has promised an uplift in defense spending by 2030 to "set the direction" for meeting NATO's target of 3.5% of GDP by 2035 — but didn't lay out details that explained how the government will get there. John Healey, who previously served as defense secretary, gave his first budget as chancellor Wednesday, setting out the government's tax and spending plans. He committed for the first time to spending 3% of GDP on the nation's defences by 2030 — something he had called for when he resigned as defense secretary under Keir Starmer — but declined to say where he would find the money, stating it would fall to a broader review of government spending next year.