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Sir Keir Starmer has been warned even spending 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence won’t be enough amid an increasingly turbulent global landscape and pressure from Donald Trump for Europe to bolster its own defences.
The government has pledged to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence, but has not given details on how or when this figure will be reached.
But even if there is an urgent push to boost spending, there is said to be concern among military chiefs that the Armed Forces will still be unable to meet current targets, with a senior Whitehall source telling The Telegraph that the 2.5 per cent figure “won’t touch the sides”.
They warned that ambitions for armed forces capabilities would need to be pulled back unless the Ministry of Defence acquired “big, big lumps of money needed for defence over a sustained period of time”.
And as Nato members scramble to boost their defence spending, Mr Trump has said he wants them to spend as much as 5 per cent of GDP on their armed forces.
But speaking on Friday, technology secretary Peter Kyle defended the government’s target, telling Sky News: “The last time that Britain spent 2.5 per cent of its GDP on defence, was under the last Labour government. The next time that we’ll spend that level of spending will be under this Labour government.”
The warnings over Britain’s ability to defend itself come amid growing concern over how Donald Trump’s presidency could impact the global defence landscape, after he held shock talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the US suggested Ukraine may be forced to give up some of its territory.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that Nato membership is not a realistic prospect for Ukraine, despite Nato’s official position – endorsed by Sir Keir’s government in the UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership – that Kyiv is on an irreversible path to joining the alliance.
The subject of global defence will be top of the agenda on Friday as defence secretary John Healey and foreign secretary David Lammy travel to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, where European allies are expected to thrash out a response to Mr Trump’s change in stance.
Yesterday, Mr Healey issued a robust response, warning that “there can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine”, adding that “Russia remains a threat well beyond Ukraine”.
Mr Trump’s position also triggered warnings from military figures, including former defence secretary Ben Wallace, who said the UK will have to “step up to fill the void in Europe and show our own leadership”, arguing that the US’s domestic agenda could embolden hostile actors.
“Maga is all about America first. Leadership is not about being first. It’s about being generous and bringing people with you”, he told Times Radio.
“It is also a signal that I’m afraid will embolden the likes of the Putins, the President Xi’s, the Iranians, because they will now see that what preoccupies the United States is purely really a domestic agenda and its own shores.
“And it will be ambiguous at best when it comes to protecting sovereignty, freedom and democracy. And I think that’s the biggest worry we have to face.”
An MoD spokesperson said:n “This is purely speculation. Our Armed Forces are among the best in the world and are always ready to defend the country.
“The Strategic Defence Review is wide-ranging, ensuring we look hard at the threats we face and the capabilities we need to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.”
“To ensure the UK is prepared to deal with the changing threat, our Budget increased defence spending by £2.9 billion for next year and we are committed to setting a path to 2.5% of GDP on defence in spring.”
