Keir Starmer flies right into a storm! Anger as PM rejects requires an pressing increase to defence spending forward of disaster Ukraine summit in Paris at the moment – and showdown with Donald Trump
Keir Starmer has refused to urgently boost military spending amid a defence crisis in Europe.
Government sources said he was still planning to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on the Armed Forces – despite urgent calls to go beyond that figure – and that the timetable for reaching his goal would not be accelerated.
It comes as the Prime Minister flies today to Paris for a crisis summit on Donald Trump’s shock plan for peace talks with Vladimir Putin – and after the watershed security conference in Munich where the US warned Europe it must stop relying on Washington to boost its security.
The summit will take place at the same time US and Russian officials meet in Saudi Arabia to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war – without Kyiv or Europe present.
Sir Keir is still resisting pressure to immediately set out a timetable for the 2.5 per cent target to be reached, following reports it could be after 2030.
He is not expected to make any announcements on defence spending before he visits Mr Trump at the White House later this month.
The US President has said Nato members should spend as much as 5 per cent on defence, while Nato plans to increase its benchmark from 2 per cent to above 3 per cent.
A government source said: ‘Labour stated in its manifesto a commitment to set a path to 2.5 per cent and that remains the policy of the Government.’
Asked if the announcement of the roadmap will now be sped up, the insider said: ‘We’ll do the Strategic Defence Review then set it out.’
Sir Keir Starmer is due to head to Paris for a crisis summit on Donald Trump’s plans for peace talks with Vladimir Putin
Sir Keir is not expected to make any announcements on defence spending before he visits the Mr Trump at the White House later this month
The ‘roadmap’ to 2.5 per cent and the review, assessing the threats facing the UK, are not expected until the spring.
It came as former Tory PM Sir John Major warned the world would be ‘rather more dangerous’ if the US does not support its allies.
And he said ‘tin-pot dictators’ would be emboldened if Mr Trump rushes into a peace deal that gives Putin control of Ukrainian territory.
Former Labour security minister and head of the Navy Lord West told the Mail the Government would be making ‘yet another major political error’ as well as ‘betraying the British people’ if it fails to increase defence spending immediately.
He said: ‘I just think it’s a terrible error. If one looks at the state of the world and the state of our Armed Forces, it’s quite clear we need to increase defence spending.
‘I don’t think it will go down well with Trump or Europe.’
Last night Tory defence spokesman James Cartlidge said there was no excuse for the PM not to act after dire warnings at the Munich Security Conference.
‘It is critical that we get confirmation of a sustained spending increase as soon as possible, so that we can commence the critical task of rearmament that should have started months ago,’ he said.
A government source dismissed reports Sir Keir was going to overrule his Chancellor and increase defence spending beyond the existing target and added: ‘The policy is still to set a path to 2.5 per cent.’
Former Labour security minister and First Sea Lord Admiral West told the Mail that the Government would be making ‘yet another major political error’ if it failed to increase defence spending
Former British Army chief Lord Dannatt (pictured) warned that Sir Keir would be ‘consigned to the bin of history’ if he fails to increase defence spending
The Mail on Sunday told how the former head of the Army has warned Sir Keir will be ‘consigned to the bin of history’ if he does not significantly increase defence spending.
Lord Dannatt said: ‘Unless Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves can find ways of producing more money, well beyond 2.5 per cent towards 3 per cent or 3.5 per cent for starters, then this Strategic Defence Review is going to be hollow, it’s going to be a failure and, frankly, it’ll consign Keir Starmer to the bin of history.’
The PM held one-to-one meetings on Friday with Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, as well as the heads of the Army, RAF and Royal Navy.
The Sunday Times said the service chiefs want spending to reach 2.65 per cent of GDP but government sources insisted no formal request has been made.
Asked yesterday by the BBC if the UK needed to go even further than 2.5 per cent, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds pointed out that the current figure of 2.3 per cent of GDP does not include spending on the intelligence services.
Latest figures show the UK spent £54 billion on defence last year and another £4.4 billion on the security services.
Defence Secretary John Healey (pictured) believes how the money is spent is also important and will set out details of his reform agenda for the armed forces in a speech this week
Defence Secretary John Healey believes how the money is spent is also important and will set out details of his reform agenda in a major speech this week.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘Our Budget increased defence spending by £2.9 billion for next year and we are committed to setting a path to 2.5 per cent.’
