Nato chief will heap pressure on Keir Starmer to agree £30BILLION hike in defence spending at meeting TODAY
Nato 's chief will heap pressure on Keir Starmer today as he urges a huge boost in spending.
Mark Rutte is set to hold talks with the PM in London and deliver a speech warning of the need for a 'quantum leap' in investment.
After pressure from Donald Trump, states are expected to be asked to agree to commit 3.5 per cent of GDP by the 2030s at a summit later this month. A further 1.5 per cent would be required for defence-related measures.
However, there are questions about how the UK would fund such a huge increase - roughly equivalent to an extra £30billion annually.
Britain allocated 2.33 per cent of GDP to defence last year, and Sir Keir has committed to reaching 2.5 per cent by April 2027.
The government has an 'ambition' of increasing that to 3 per cent in the next parliament - likely to run to 2034.
Mr Rutte is expected to use a speech at London 's Chatham House to say a '400 per cent increase in air and missile' capability is required just to maintain deterrence and defence.
He will say 'wishful thinking will not keep us safe' as he warns Nato must become a 'stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance' to protect itself, in the remarks on Monday, when he will also separately meet the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary John Healey.
Mr Rutte is expected to say: 'The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence. The fact is, we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full.
'The fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends'.
He will add: 'We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies.
'Our militaries also need thousands more armoured vehicles and tanks, millions more artillery shells, and we must double our enabling capabilities, such as logistics, supply, transportation and medical support'.
On threats against the alliance, Mr Rutte will say: 'Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We cannot dream away the danger.
'Hope is not a strategy. So Nato has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance.'
The US itself missed the proposed target by spending 3.38 per cent of GDP on defence last year - although the sheer size of its economy meant that dwarfed contributions from the rest of the alliance.
Countries such as Germany face finding upwards of $60billion a year more for the military.
The increase in Italy would be equivalent to around $46billion, Canada $45billion, France £44billion and the UK roughly $40billion.
Spain - which has not invested heavily in defence up to now - could need to allocate an additional $36billion despite its economy being much smaller.
The UK's Strategic Defence Review, published last week, recommended sweeping changes, including a greater focus on new technology, including drones and artificial intelligence based on rising budgets.
The boost to the defence budget will be confirmed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her spending review on Wednesday, when she will set out the Government's priorities for the next three years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Spurs close in on Frank appointment as new boss
Tottenham are closing in on appointing Brentford manager Thomas Frank as their new head coach by the between the clubs are ongoing, but have progressed positively amid a growing expectation Frank could even be confirmed in the next 48 hours as Ange Postecoglou's are understood to be amicable and there is a will from all parties to conclude the agreement Sport understands that recently appointed Spurs chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, who only started work last Monday, has been involved in the process of appointing Frank, alongside chairman Daniel are entitled to compensation for the 51-year-old Frank, who joined them from Brondby in 2018, with sources indicating it will cost Tottenham £10m to release him from his current amount could rise based upon how many members of staff the Dane decides to bring with him.
BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Uttoxeter coffee shop could shut over high rates, owner says
High business rates could lead to a coffee shop closure, its owner Ingleton, who has runs Fueled Coffee in Uttoxeter for four years, said his business rates had more than doubled."We charge £3.40 for a coffee and I don't think they realise how many coffees I have to sell to get that covered before I start with the wage, rent, electric bills," he said he wanted more support from East Staffordshire Borough Council. The council said the government in recent tax years had set the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief at 75% of the business rates bill, but the level of relief had been reduced to 40%. He said he previously paid £3,243 in business rates charges but his bill for 2025/26 increased to £7,784."I can't carry on with these high [business] rates," he told BBC Radio Stoke. "Sometimes I feel sick, I cant sleep, I just want to stay indoors and its not motivational at all."The council say it's for small businesses, this is their chance to stand up and say its wrong."Mr Ingleton said he was passionate about the community and his business but found the current business rates were affecting his mental health. A council spokesman said the increase in business rates was due to government providing RHL businesses with a relief on their business rates charges over the last few years."In 2023/24 and 2024/25 tax years the RHL relief was set by the government at 75% of the business rates bill," they said."However for the 2025/26 tax year the level of relief has been reduced by the government to 40%." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Women will no longer be prosecuted for aborting own child at any stage of pregnancy under changes to the law set to be passed next week
Women will no longer face prosecution for aborting their own baby under changes set to be passed by MPs next week that would herald the biggest overhaul of abortion law for half a century. Under the proposals abortion would effectively be decriminalised and women would no longer face prosecution if they ended their own pregnancy after 24 weeks or without approval from doctors. The changes are said to have the backing of more than 130 backbench MPs meaning it is likely to be approved when MPs are given a free vote on amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill next week. Six women have appeared in court in the last three years charged with ending or attempting to end their own pregnancy outside abortion law - a crime with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Last month Nicola Packer, 45, was acquitted of taking abortion medicine at home when she was about 26 weeks pregnant. Under the new proposals she would not have been prosecuted for this. The MPs behind the proposed amendments say that reform is long-overdue as the current law leads to vulnerable women being prosecuted, some of whom may have had a miscarriage or stillbirth. However anti-abortion campaigners have criticised the proposals, which they warn would be the most extreme liberalisation of the law since the 1967 Abortion Act and could allow abortion 'up to birth'. Abortion is a criminal offence in England and Wales unless it takes place under strict conditions, including that it is before 24 weeks into a pregnancy and with the approval of two doctors. New laws passed during the pandemic allow abortion pills to be taken at home in a system known as 'pills by post', however this is only allowed up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy. There are very limited circumstances allowing a woman to access an abortion after 24 weeks, such as when the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability. But two amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill would radically alter abortion law in England and Wales. One of the amendments, by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, would mean that a woman would no longer be committing an offence by ending her own pregnancy. However under this amendment anybody else, including a medical professional, who assisted a woman in accessing an abortion outside the law could still be prosecuted. Ms Antoniazzi has described it as a 'small change to the law but one that will have a huge impact on the lives of women', adding that it would protect women from prosecution while retaining the criminal law against abusive partners who end a woman's pregnancy without her consent. A second, rival amendment, put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy, goes further still and would repeal swathes of legislation and make it a human right for a woman to have access to an abortion. The decision to select one or both amendments for a vote, expected on June 17 and 18, lies with Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle. However it is expected that Ms Antoniazzi's amendment would receive the backing of MPs after a leading pro-choice group yesterday came out against Ms Creasy's plan, warning it is being rushed through without enough scrutiny. Rachael Clarke, head of advocacy at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said Ms Creasy's amendment does not have the backing of abortion providers whereas Ms Antoniazzi's is supported by more than 50 pro-choice organisations. 'Abortion law is incredibly complex. It governs 250,000 women's healthcare every single year,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'Because of that, it is essential that any huge change to abortion law is properly considered. 'That means involvement with providers, medical bodies, regulators - and proper debate time in Parliament.' 'For us, unfortunately, although we truly believe that we need overwhelming and generational change for abortion law, Stella Creasy's amendment is not the right way to do it,' she added.
