Days after the general election a NATO summit will be held in Washington from 9 to 11 July days after polling finishes.
Labour is planning to raise issues to European leaders with a defence warning they must “do more heavy lifting” with their defence budgets as they can no longer rely on the US for military help if war breaks out across Europe.
It is expected that the Labour Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey will tell NATO leaders this is in order to “safeguard our security.”
Healey said, “Labour’s commitment to NATO is unshakeable.
Read more related news:
Berlin urged to call up thousands of reservists as an ‘attack against us has already begun’
“With war in Europe, next month’s NATO summit in Washington will not only mark 75 years since the alliance was founded, but it must also meet the challenge of deterring wider threats.
“European allies will need to do more of the heavy-lifting in NATO to safeguard our security, which is why Labour is totally committed to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.
“The last time the UK spent 2.5% on defence was when Labour was last in power.”
Despite this just 18 NATO members are planning to raise their spending to 2% of their GDP which includes the UK.
Tory MP and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that he is committed to raise defence spending to 2.5% from £54.2 billion to £57.a billion in 2024 to 2025.
Towards the end of April the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, “This is a generational investment in British security and British prosperity that makes us safer at home and stronger abroad.”
Speaking of the US he said that we cannot “keep expecting” America to pay for our security and keep picking up the bill.
Sunak said, “We cannot keep expecting America to pay any price or bear any burden if we ourselves are unwilling to make greater sacrifices for our own security.”
Sunak warned the world is “more volatile and dangerous” since the Cold War.
Sunak pledged to raise the UK’s defence budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2023 as we are on the edge of another world war.
Sunak said the dangers the world faces today should not be “overstated” and that the UK “cannot and must not be complacent.”
Sunak said that the UK’s fighting forces will receive an extra £75 billion and said his move is “generational,” adding, “This is not some vague aspiration for the future,” he says.
“We have a clear plan for what we’ll spend, when we’ll spend it and how we pay for it.”
