British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged on Tuesday, February 25, to boost defense spending to 2.5% of the economy by 2027, as uncertainty reigns over US President Donald Trump's commitment to European security.
Starmer expressed an intent to eventually reach 3%, a rise of 0.7% from current spending that would mark the biggest increase since the end of the Cold War. His announcement comes ahead of key talks on Ukraine with Trump in Washington on Thursday. It will be seen as an attempt to appease the US president who has demanded that European powers pay more for their own security.
The UK spent 2.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense in 2023/24. Starmer's Labour government had previously committed to increasing defense spending to 2.5% but had not set a timeline.
The prime minister told parliament the increase would be funded by cutting overseas development aid from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3%. Starmer added he hopes to hike spending to 3% of GDP in the next parliament, which would fall during a five-year period after elections expected in 2029.
The initial rise of 0.2% would cost the government £13.4 billion ($16.9 billion) more every year from 2027, said Starmer. That will mean some "extremely difficult and painful choices," he told lawmakers, but added it would contribute to the "biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War."
The government would "set a clear ambition for defense spending to rise to 3% of GDP in the next parliament," he added. Trump has demanded that NATO allies more than double their defense spending targets to 5% of economic output.
The United States currently spends around 3.3% on defense. When he meets Trump, Starmer faces a difficult balancing act between backing Ukraine while not annoying the US leader. He has indicated he will reaffirm support for Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky and insist that Kyiv is at the heart of negotiations for a truce with Russia.
Trump has opened discussions with Moscow to bring an end to the war. Starmer will hope that his announcement helps convince Trump to provide security guarantees for any European peacekeepers sent to Ukraine to monitor any ceasefire that is agreed to.
The UK premier and France's President Emmanuel Macron have said they are willing to send British and French troops to Ukraine, but they would require a US backup. Security guarantees would likely take the form of air cover, intelligence and logistics.
"The nature of warfare has changed significantly. That is clear from the battlefield in Ukraine, and so we must modernize and reform our capabilities as we invest," Starmer said. "This investment means that the UK will strengthen its position as a leader in NATO and in the collective defense of our continent, and we should welcome that role."