Ipsos Shows 37% Back Higher Defence Funding Trade-offs — Chancellor Defence Funding Plan
Ipsos polling on the chancellor defence funding plan found that 37% of Britons think defence spending should rise even if it means extra borrowing, higher taxes or less money for other public services. The poll was carried out between 22 and 25 May 2026 and also shows where the public draws the line on how any increase should be paid for.
Support for higher defence spending fell by 11 percentage points from 48% in March 2026, while 40% said spending should stay the same and 15% said it should be cut. Among those who want higher spending, 35% chose higher taxes as the main funding method, 33% backed cuts to other public services and 15% preferred extra government borrowing.
Ipsos May 2026
The poll gives a sharper view of the trade-offs Britons will accept. Forty-five percent would oppose higher defence spending if it meant less money for public services, and 50% would oppose it if it meant higher personal taxes. Those figures leave support for extra defence spending narrower than it was in March, but still above the 2022 level, when support for more defence spending stood at 28% to 30%.
Public backing rises when the spending is tied to wider benefits. Ipsos found 73% support for defence spending that creates jobs and apprenticeships, and 61% back spending that invests in civilian infrastructure such as energy or transport.
Tax Choices
Among the 37% who support higher defence spending, 44% would rather see income tax on earnings over £125,000 used to pay for it. Another 31% chose tobacco and alcohol duty, and 22% chose corporation tax. Only 3% would support raising basic rate income tax or VAT for that purpose.
If cuts were used instead, 38% said they would not want any public services reduced. Of the options listed, welfare was selected by 27%, housing including housing benefit by 18%, education by 9% and health and social care by 8%.
NHS Priority
The same polling found 62% of Britons say the NHS should be prioritised for public investment. One in four, 25%, said they would be likely to purchase war bonds to help finance higher defence spending, rising to 34% among 2024 Conservative voters.
For the Chancellor Defence Funding Plan, that leaves a narrow path: public support exists for higher defence spending, but the funding method will matter as much as the total. Taxes aimed at higher earners drew the strongest backing, while increases that touch personal taxes, services or broad consumption taxes met the most resistance.
