Liverpool, ENGLAND — British defense officials are vying to secure more funding as Finance Minister Rachel Reeves' upcoming Autumn budget risks exacerbating already beleaguered efforts to boost military investment. Maria Eagle, the U.K.'s minister of defense procurement, joined a chorus of voices that called on the sector to prove that it could be more efficient under the new government, as the Treasury grapples with allocating its stretched finances. Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has cast a spotlight on deep inefficiencies within Britain's defense sectors, provoking calls for reform. A 72-page House of Lords report published Thursday last week warned of "burdensome bureaucracy" in military recruitment and "cumbersome" procurement processes. Unless "laser-sharp priorities" are set, even 2.5% might not be enough to meet the country's defense needs, it said, adding that the government must acknowledge the essential need for higher defense spending and communicate that to the public.

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Persons: Sir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, Maria Eagle, We've, Eagle, Let's, Keir Starmer, — Organizations: RAF, Armed Forces, Treasury, Labour Party, NATO Locations: Oxfordshire, Liverpool, ENGLAND, Ukraine