US President Donald Trump said he expects NATO allies to stick to their defence spending pledges, amid controversy over future UK military funding.
Mr Trump’s demand came as Sir Keir Starmer was due to unveil a long-delayed investment plan for the armed forces. The plan has been dogged by internal government wrangling and rocked by ministerial resignations.
Sir Keir insists the plan will keep Britain “safe and secure long into the future”.
View 3 ImagesUS President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keri Starmer (file image)(Image: AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
John Healey, who recently quit as defence secretary over the military financial settlement on offer, has warned the plan “falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time”.
The row erupted ahead of a crucial NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey next week, where ally members are expected to set out a “credible path” to spending 5% of economic output on defence by 2035.
This is split into 3.5% gross domestic product (GDP) core defence spending commitment, and a 1.5% GDP commitment to wider resilience spending.
In his resignation letter, Mr Healey suggested the UK was on course to spend only 2.68% of GDP on core defence by 2030, casting doubt on the country’s ability to meet the target of 3.5% within the required timeframe.
A White House official said: “President Trump expects NATO allies to abide by their 5% defence spending pledge.”
The new Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis is understood to have secured additional money for the military. This would take the total allocation to some £14.5 billion, up from the £13.5 billion offered to Mr Healey, but still short of the £28 billion officials previously said was needed.
View 3 ImagesDan Jarvis was appointed to head up the Ministry of Defence last week after John Healey quit(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The funding dispute comes at a critical time, with Mr Trump casting doubt on the commitment of the US to NATO that he previously branded “a paper tiger”.
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Mr Trump says the US has been bankrolling the defence of other countries. Tensions have also risen over Mr Trump’s designs on Greenland, which belongs to fellow alliance member Denmark, and the response of allies to the Iran war.
Earlier this month, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth announced a review of US military forces in Europe as he cast doubt on some members meeting their spending commitments. He argued that some members still seem “to think the era of free-riding is here”.