Sir Keir Starmer has expressed his desire to increase UK defense spending to 3% in the upcoming parliament, just before his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House.
The prime minister made an unexpected announcement in parliament, stating that spending would be raised to 2.5% of the UK’s GDP by 2027.
Furthermore, he revealed plans to reduce foreign aid spending from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3%.
During his speech, he reaffirmed the government’s allegiance to NATO, referring to it as the «foundation of our security,» and condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that «tyrants only understand strength.»
He also discussed his upcoming visit to the White House to meet with President Trump, emphasizing his desire for the UK’s relationship with the US to strengthen further.
In their manifesto, Labour pledged to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP from the current 2.3%, although ministers had previously declined to outline a specific timeline.
They had indicated that a plan to reach 2.5% would be revealed following the publication of a defense spending review this spring.
However, the rise to power of Donald Trump in January prompted European governments to face mounting pressure to immediately boost defense spending.
President Trump has called for a 5% of GDP target, a level not seen since the Cold War era.
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