Britain’s new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, called on other NATO allies to increase defense spending during an international summit on Thursday. He emphasized the need to protect NATO values in what he described as “a dangerous new era.”
Starmer, who took office as UK Prime Minister last week, made his debut speech at the international summit. He reiterated the government’s commitment to develop a roadmap to raise defense spending to 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, he did not set a specific timeline for achieving this target.
A report released by the previous Conservative government in April showed that UK defense spending meeting NATO standards is expected to account for 2.32% of GDP in the fiscal year 2024-2025.
In April of this year, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to increase defense expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.
Ahead of the NATO summit, Starmer stated on Tuesday that he would uphold his election promise to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP. However, he added that progress on this agenda would only be made after the country is able to afford it and a review of defense strategy has been carried out.
Starmer revealed that the defense strategy review will commence next week, with Defense Minister John Healey having already undertaken detailed preparations.
In 2014, NATO set a target for member countries to allocate 2% of their GDP to defense spending, with only three member states meeting this goal. Following the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, NATO countries have been pushing towards this target. This year, more than two-thirds of the 32 NATO member countries are expected to reach or exceed this threshold.
Starmer noted that currently, 23 out of 32 NATO member countries allocate 2% of their GDP to defense spending. However, given the serious threats to their security, he emphasized the need to go further.
He mentioned, “We face threats from Russia for generations, with support from countries like North Korea and Iran. Ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, challenges from China, terrorism… International institutions should have been at the core of the response, yet they have been undermined.”
For Starmer, this marks his first major appearance on the international stage, and he has been warmly welcomed by many Western leaders. The majority seats won by his Labour Party in parliament provide him with an advantage to build strong diplomatic relationships in international affairs in the future.