Rachel Reeves has urged European allies to follow Britain and increase defence spending.

Sir Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that UK defence spending would rise from 2.3 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent by 2027, with a further “ambition” to hit 3 per cent by the early 2030s.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the plans had been accelerated by Donald Trump’s criticism of Ukraine and threats to withdraw security guarantees from Europe.

He will fly to Washington, DC on Wednesday for talks with the US president the next day, where he will seek to persuade Mr Trump that Europe has a plan to secure peace in Ukraine.

Writing in The Telegraph, the Chancellor echoed Sir Keir’s words and warned Europe that “all of us must step up and do more on defence”.