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Starmer refuses to commit to 3% defence spend as he insists priority is 'working collectively' with Nato allies
17 December 2024, 16:00 | Updated: 17 December 2024, 16:03
Keir Starmer has refused to commit to increasing defence spending to 3% as he insisted the priority was "working collectively" with Nato allies.
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Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, the PM reiterated the government's commitment to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.
He refused to be drawn on whether that could increase further to 3%.
"There is an ongoing discussion in Europe about defence spending and there is an acceptance that it needs to go up," he told Nick.
"But the discussion this morning was also about how we do that jointly, make the most of the joint work that we do, and all of that has to be taken into account."
He continued: "At the moment, we’re going to set out the pathway to 2.5% but there’s a live discussion going on about defence spending."
When asked if he would go as far as 3%, Sir Keir said: "We made that commitment that we would get to 2.5% - the discussion we had this morning is how we make the defence spending of our Nato allies work best collectively.
"There was a real sense around the table this morning that it's not about just what the contribution from each individual Nato country is, it’s also about the joint work we do."
He went on to say: “Yes, there's the question of percentage, which I accept we will set out that path to 2.5%, but there is also the crucial question by working together can we make the most effective use…"
Asked again about the potential for spending to increase further, the PM said: "The commitment we made is to set out a path to 2.5%."
Sir Keir Starmer commits to 'setting out a pathway' to 2.5% defence spending
Read more: Britain can't boost defence spending without making cuts in other areas, Rachel Reeves warns
It comes after the head of Nato warned that the West is not ready for the threats it will face from Russia in the coming years.
Calling on members of the military alliance to shift into a wartime mindset, Mark Rutte, the secretary general of the organisation, said spending must increase far above the current rate.
Mr Rutte warned that Nato is “not ready” for what is to come as he said the current security situation was the "worst in my lifetime".
Speaking in Brussels, Mr Rutte: "Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation, with Ukraine and with us.
"We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years," he said.
He continued: "It is time to shift to a wartime mindset, and turbocharge our defence production and defence spending.
"He demanded leaders "stop creating barriers between each other and between industries, banks and pension funds".
And to defence companies, he added: "There is money on the table, and it will only increase. So dare to innovate and take risks."
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said earlier in the month that Labour will not be able to raise defence spending without making cuts in other areas.
Announcing a massive “line by line” audit of government spending, she said other departments would need to suffer if Britain wanted to boost its military spending.
