Keir Starmer will meet leaders from the Nato alliance in Ankara, Turkey, as he seeks to shore up his legacy on the world stage with two weeks to go until he quits Downing Street
Keir Starmer will face fresh pressure on defence spending as he travels to a critical Nato summit in one of his final acts in office.
The Prime Minister will meet leaders from the defensive alliance in Ankara, Turkey, as he seeks to shore up his legacy on the world stage with two weeks to go until he quits Downing Street.
But Donald Trump could wreak havoc at the summit amid heightened tensions over the UK and European allies’ refusal to join his war against Iran. And the White House has already piled pressure on Nato countries to ramp up spending on defence.
Support for Ukraine will be high on the agenda, along with bolstering Europe’s defence and underlining the UK’s commitment to Nato, No10 said.
The PM’s official spokesman said: “This is a new era for Nato, which is why at Ankara, alongside our allies, the Prime Minister will be focused on building a stronger and more European NATO than ever before, ready to support Ukraine and face the long-term threat posed by an increasingly reckless and dangerous Russia.”
The US President has repeatedly lashed out at Nato, which he previously branded a “paper tiger”, and has demanded European countries spend more on defence. The UK and allies agreed to hit a target of 5% of GDP by 2035 last year – including 3.5% on core defence – under sustained pressure from the White House.
Ahead of the summit, his administration warned allies must step up defence spending “immediately” or face consequences.
Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to Nato, said on Sunday night: “Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way.
“But many others are lagging behind, and President Trump expects all allies to step up immediately and not only get on a sustainable path to the 5% but to get to 5% as soon as possible.”
Mr Starmer had intended to use the summit to tout the UK’s defence investment plan (Dip), a blueprint to futureproof Britain’s military which was published last week.
But the plans sparked a fierce backlash after it emerged that the Dip included a £4.7billion hole that would-be PM Andy Burnham will have to fill in his first Budget.
John Healey resigned as Defence Secretary over the plan, which only took defence spending to 2.68% by 2030, leaving huge questions over how the UK will hit the Nato target.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump also goaded Italian PM Giorgia Meloni by posting a picture of her captured “restraining order needed” on the eve of the summit. The pair fell out dramatically after he claimed she begged him to pose for a picture with her at last month’s G7 summit to boost her popularity.
The Italian leader rubbished his claims and accused him of pandering to enemies of the west.