Starmer announces the greatest increase in military spending since the cold war on the eve of visiting Trump

In his speech, Starmer stressed his firm support to NATO and the historical role of the United Kingdom in collective defense. He declared that in his first week as Prime Minister he traveled to the NATO Summit in Washington with a clear message: that his allies can trust that his government will fulfill his duty to put the collective security in the first place.

The president recalled the fall of the Berlin Wall and expressed his concern about the threat that Russia represents, pointing out that he would never have imagined seeing Russian tanks rolling again by European cities. He reaffirmed the need to continue supporting Ukraine and acknowledged that the response of the previous conservative government to the Russian invasion was rigid and adequate.

Starmer’s plan foresees the greater sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War. Military expenditure will go from the current 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP in 2027, which represents an increase of 13.4 billion pounds per year. If the intelligence and security services budget is included, the total expenditure will reach 2.6% of GDP. In addition, the ‘Premier’ expressed its clear ambition to raise spending up to 3% in the next legislature.

To finance this increase, the Government will reduce the international aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP in 2027. Starmer acknowledged that this decision is not easy and that it is proud of the United Kingdom’s history in international cooperation, and He said that the country will continue to play a key role in humanitarian aid in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza, as well as in the fight against climate change and support for global health. However, he justified the measure stating that in times like these, the defense and security of the British people must always be priority.

Starmer emphasized the importance of the relationship with the United States and expressed his desire to further strengthen the links between the two countries. However, he also advocated a new pact with Europe and rejected the idea of ​​choosing between both allies, remembering that in the past the United Kingdom has fought wars along with its closest partners in commerce, growth and security.

In his statement before the Chamber of the Commons, the prime minister warned about new threats such as cyber attacks and sabotage, which require greater investment in intelligence, and assured that intelligence services are increasingly crucial and that their government will recognize their work by allocating 2.6% of national income from 2027.

Starmer concluded his speech with a call to national unity, stating that the historical burden that the United Kingdom should carry is not as light as in other times and that current circumstances demand a united country that deploy all its resources to guarantee security.

His visit will occur a few days after that of the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, this Monday, in which the distance between the US and Europe was revealed.