Starmer pledges to spend 5% of GDP on national security and defence by 2035
Starmer makes major defence announcement to meet Trump demand
- Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged that the UK will spend 5 per cent of GDP on national security and defence by 2035.
- This commitment, made ahead of a Nato summit, aligns with a figure previously sought by US President Donald Trump, who has insisted that Europe needs to stop relying on the US for defence spending.
- The 5 per cent allocation is expected to be split as 3.5 per cent for core defence and 1.5 per cent for resilience and security.
- Downing Street has not specified how this new commitment will be funded, raising questions about affordability given its current 3 per cent defence ambition.
- The pledge represents the highest proportion of GDP spent on defence by the UK since the end of World War II.