Defence cuts effectively paid for a growing UK welfare state for 60 years – but that looks impossible after Ukraine

Ben Zaranko

Published on 8 March 2022

IFS Senior Research Economist Ben Zaranko writes for The Conversation on how the UK's lower defence spending has allowed successive governments to pay for a growing welfare state without a higher tax burden.

Originally published in The Conversation on 7 March 2022

For decades, the "peace dividend" from lower spending on defence has, in effect, allowed successive governments to pay for a growing welfare state without a higher tax burden. But the conflict in Ukraine could mark the end of that trend, if the UK follows countries across Europe in announcing plans for higher defence expenditure. What might this mean for the government's fiscal situation?

Read the full article in The Conversation here.