LONDON, July 10 – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to guarantee that he will meet his flagship commitment on defence spending within his first term in office, despite a “cast iron” promise to get there, reported German news agency (dpa).
The prime minister, who will meet US President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders on Wednesday at a summit to mark the alliance’s 75th anniversary, is pressing for European nations to increase defence spending.
But decisions on reaching the UK’s goal of spending 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) will follow a wholesale defence review being launched next week, and must comply with the government’s strict “fiscal rules” on spending and borrowing.
Starmer will hold talks with Biden in the White House on Wednesday afternoon as the US president faces domestic pressures over his age and suitability to run for a second term.
The prospect of former US president Donald Trump being returned to the White House in November’s election is a cause for concern in the alliance, given his past criticisms of NATO and his threats to reduce aid to Ukraine.
European NATO states face shouldering a greater burden as part of efforts to “Trump proof” the alliance, should the Republican candidate return to office and weaken US commitment to the 32-nation bloc.
Speaking to reporters, Starmer was repeatedly pressed on whether the goal of spending 2.5 per cent of GDP would be reached within his first term.
He said: “We are committed to the 2.5 per cent, as I have said before the election, and I say again after the election. That is obviously subject to our fiscal rules, but the commitment is there.
“The strategic review will take place, that will happen next week, and we will set out the details of that.
“The manifesto commitment was that it would take place within a year, I would like it to be quicker than that if I’m honest and we’ll set out the details about how we are going to do it.”
Officials have described 2.5 per cent as a “cast iron commitment”, but the announcement that a strategic defence review will be launched next week did not include any timetable for ramping up spending.
Before his election defeat, former prime minister Rishi Sunak had committed to reaching 2.5 per cent by 2030, at a total cost of £75 billion (US$95 billion) over six years.
NATO members have an official goal of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, and it is believed that 23 members have now reached that level.
She will take part in a series of engagements with other leaders’ wives and husbands.
