This NATO summit is a defining moment for our alliance and for Britain's security – we must spend more on defence

The Sun

5 hours ago

The Middle East is on the brink. Homes, hospitals and schools in Israel are under bombardment.
The crisis in Gaza continues. Millions of people across the region live in fear of what comes next.
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This government will always back Israel's security and will never allow Iran to get its hands on a nuclear weapon.
But we are urging restraint on all sides.
As Defence Secretary, my top priority is the protection of our armed forces in the region.
It's why we moved at pace to deploy extra military assets when the conflict broke out.
The additional Typhoon jets promised by the Prime Minister have now arrived in the region.
Force protection for our bases and personnel is at the highest level and I won't rule out sending more capabilities if needed. Because Britain stands ready.
Let's not forget that Iran's race to build a bomb is what dragged the Middle East into this crisis.
Britain is a nuclear power. Last week, I visited the brilliant British scientists and engineers working on our next-generation nuclear deterrent – the ultimate guarantee of our national security.
But we are a responsible nuclear power.
Iran would not be. It's a nation committed to the destruction of Israel, whose Supreme Leader described as a 'cancerous tumour' that should be 'removed and eradicated'.
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The instability in the Middle East, and continued war in Ukraine, shows why this week's NATO Leaders' Summit in the Netherlands matters.
We're living in a more dangerous and unpredictable world.
This Summit is a defining moment for our alliance and for Britain's security.
It's a moment where NATO allies will pledge to step up on defence spending to boost our collective security.
President Trump and NATO chief, Mark Rutte, are right: the current NATO spending pledge – to spend at least 2 per cent of GDP on defence – is a relic of a past era.
We are now in a new era of threat. And as threats increase, defence spending must too.
That's why our government is already one of the biggest spenders in NATO.
It's why we've announced the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, funded by switching spending from overseas aid – and we urge NATO allies to match that pace.
It's why this week, at NATO we will discuss a new, higher spending target.
And Britain is up for that discussion.
This debate is not just about getting hard military kit and capabilities into the hands of our outstanding British troops.
Not just about investment in housing and pay to fix forces morale and boost recruitment. We are ramping up all these things.
It's also about the investment in the security of the British people with the infrastructure, the energy security, the industry and the innovation needed to help harden Britain in a more dangerous world where have seen increasing 'grey zone' threats: cyberattacks, sabotage and more.
Sun readers know that investing in defence doesn't just make Britain safer, and back our British troops – it makes British workers better off, too.
Our world leading defence industry is an engine for economic growth creating jobs, skills and pride – the foundation of our government's Plan for Change.
Last week, I was in Sheffield opening a new artillery factory for British firm BAE Systems, 200 new, skilled jobs.
This week, in Aldermaston I saw how our £15bn investment in a new nuclear warhead for our UK nuclear deterrent is supporting 9,500 jobs in Berkshire and doubling the number of apprenticeships.
New investment. New jobs. New opportunities for young people.
Our government's boost to defence spending will bring more of this good, well-paid work to the places that need it most across the UK.
Now and in the coming years, more and more communities will benefit from this 'defence dividend'.
And as we boost British jobs, we will make Britain safer. Secure at home, and strong abroad.