Starmer Refuses to Provide a Timeline for 2.5 Percent Defence Spending

July 10, 2024 TruthUSA

The prime minister has issued an order for a comprehensive Strategic Defence Review starting next week to assess the UK’s security and defence capabilities.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has refrained from providing a timeline for when the UK will meet his government’s firm commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP.

Sir Keir is currently in Washington for a NATO summit, where he intends to urge his counterparts to reaffirm their dedication to the alliance by boosting their defence spending. When questioned on Tuesday about whether the new government would achieve its objective within this Parliamentary term, the prime minister emphasized that he is steadfast in his campaign promise, acknowledging that it is contingent on “our fiscal rules.”

“We are firmly committed to the 2.5 percent, as I stated before the election and reiterate after the election. This commitment is subject to our fiscal regulations, but the dedication remains,” he stated.

Prior to his journey, the government reiterated the UK’s unwavering pledge to allocate 2.5 percent of GDP to defence spending.

Both the Labour and Conservative parties prioritized increasing defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP in their campaigns leading up to the July 4 general election. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set a 2030 deadline to hit the target, with an estimated total cost of £75 billion over the next six years.

‘Root-and-Branch’ Defence Review

Sir Keir indicated that decisions on meeting the target will be guided by an assessment of the UK’s security and defence capabilities.

The prime minister announced the initiation of a “root-and-branch” Strategic Defence Review, supervised by Defence Secretary John Healey.

He confirmed on Tuesday: “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.”

In a statement, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that the Strategic Defence Review will concentrate on threats such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and “the rise of authoritarian countries.”

Military ‘Hollowed Out’

The review will involve devising a new defence industrial strategy and evaluating the structure of the armed forces, including their combat readiness.

The condition of the military and its budget was a concern for MPs in the previous administration. In February, the House of Commons Defence Committee cautioned that the UK’s ability to engage in a war was affected by the armed forces’ recruitment crisis and lack of stockpile.

“The government risks being unable to build true warfighting and strategic readiness because of the sheer pace of operations, which could threaten the security of the UK,” the committee informed MPs in a report.

The “hollowing out” of the military since 2010 had undermined the country’s warfighting resilience, the committee’s inquiry revealed, warning that the armed forces would deplete their capabilities “after the first couple of months of the engagement” in a peer-on-peer war.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria board a plane at Stansted Airport as they head to Washington to attend a NATO summit, in Essex, England, on July 9, 2024. (Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

NATO Allies

The prime minister, foreign secretary, and defence secretary are currently in Washington to join NATO leaders in commemorating the alliance’s 75th anniversary.

The alliance agreed in 2014 to aim for spending 2 percent on defence following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and in reaction to escalating instability in the Middle East.

Over the years, some members have fallen short of this target, drawing criticism from former President Donald Trump during his term for depending too heavily on major contributors like the United States.

On Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared that the alliance’s spending target will be a mandate for members, rather than a mere aspiration.

Mr. Stoltenberg stated in a speech on Tuesday: “The language in the declaration we agreed 10 years ago was that we should strive towards reaching 2% of GDP for defence. And that has made a big difference.”

“Now we have changed that language to say that 2% is a minimum. So 2% is no longer some kind of ceiling but 2% is now the floor for our defence spending. So we’re not complacent, it’s not good enough what we do now, so we will do more.”

PA Media contributed to this report.

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