Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer is set to reveal plans to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP within weeks of Donald Trump taking office, Report informs, citing The Telegraph.
The long-awaited timetable for increasing UK military spending is expected to be announced in the spring as Labour looks to build a relationship with the incoming US president.
The move would be seen as an olive branch to Trump, who for years has railed against European allies for riding on the coat-tails of US defence spending and called for more contributions.
John Healey, the Defence Secretary, used an interview with The Telegraph to declare the Government “will always do what’s necessary to defend the country”, saying a “path” to 2.5 per cent GDP spending was on its way.
Government insiders, Labour grandees and defence industry sources have all told The Telegraph they expect the timetable for hitting 2.5 per cent to be unveiled in spring 2025, just weeks after Trump enters the White House in January.
It would follow the completion of the strategic defence review and potentially come alongside the announcements for the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) budgets for 2027 and 2028.
While the exact date for when Britain would hit 2.5 per cent has not been decided, Ben Wallace, the former Tory defence secretary, called for Sir Keir to hit the target by 2028 and then go even further to reach 3 per cent by 2030.
No 10 – along with leaders across the world – is scrambling to map out the implications of Trump’s return to the White House in January after victory in the US presidential election this week.
Downing Street has ordered officials to provide advice on the impact of a Trump presidency on the UK economy, the Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East.
The entire Cabinet gathered in the Foreign Office on Friday for a long-planned “away day” on political issues. Past Labour criticism of Trump could complicate attempts to forge strong personal ties.
One theme of Trump’s two presidential campaigns and one term in the White House is frustration at fellow members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for not spending more on defence.
The UK currently spends around 2.2 per cent each year of GDP on defence. That is above the 2 per cent target set by NATO for its members and puts Britain in eighth place for spending out of the 32 NATO members.
An uplift to 2.5 per cent would see the UK jump to fourth place in the NATO league table.
Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister, pledged to increase UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030. Sir Keir has said he shares the ambition but scrapped the timetable when he took office.
Sources in No 10, the Treasury, the Foreign Office and the MoD did not dispute that the 2.5 per cent uplift is likely to be unveiled in spring 2025.
It could come alongside the Treasury’s spring statement, which will announce the budget for every government department for at least two more years after a spending review, or possibly even a little before.
The exact timing of the statement has not been announced but is expected to be held in March or April.
Healey told The Telegraph: “This is a Government that will always do what’s necessary to defend the country, and will always do what’s necessary for defence and the Armed Forces. And we’re also a Government that will set a path to 2.5 per cent of GDP.”
Wallace said: “Three per cent by 2030 is the only way we will maintain our leadership and deliver a modern Armed Forces. The 2.5 per cent level should be a staging post on that trajectory and should be delivered by 2028.”
A government spokesman said: “This Government is clear-eyed about the threats we face, with the world becoming more volatile and technology changing the nature of warfare.”