UK Defence Spending: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is planning to increase defence spending, even if it means going against his finance minister, Rachel Reeves. This decision comes after the United States asked Europe to contribute more money for its own security. The Sunday Times reported this news, citing sources close to the matter.
Starmer is expected to travel to Washington next week to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. An official announcement about the defence spending increase could come as early as Monday. Currently, the UK spends around 2.3% of its economic output on defence. Starmer’s government has promised to raise this to 2.5%, but they have not yet said when this will happen.
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Rachel Reeves, the finance minister, is working on a major spending review. She is already under pressure to improve public services and boost economic growth without breaking her own financial rules. Increasing defence spending could make this even harder.
A source close to Starmer told the Sunday Times, “In the end, its the prime minister’s decision on national security. This one does sit with the PM.” The source also said the government knows it must explain when it will reach the 2.5% target and that a defence and security review will address this.
The prime minister’s office has not yet commented on the report. On Saturday, Starmer said the UK will work to keep the U.S. and Europe united. He added that they should not let disagreements distract them from dealing with “external enemies.” This statement came after Trump’s Ukraine envoy said Europe would not be part of peace talks about Ukraine.
When asked if Rachel Reeves would agree to raise defence spending, business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News, “She knows more than most people the pressures on public services across the board, but defence has to be the cornerstone of our national prosperity as well as our security.”
