NATO officials warn Starmer over defence spending

 Nato officials have warned Sir Keir Starmer that uncertainty over defence spending risks undermining the UK’s status as a leading member of the alliance.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reportedly been told that Britain could be relegated to the bottom tier of the alliance’s league tables for spending as a proportion of GDP.

According to The Sunday Times, warnings have been made by Angus Lapsley, the UK’s permanent representative to Nato, and Nick Catsaras, a Nato assistant secretary-general.

Mr Lapsley is said to have told the Government that the UK risks slipping from its status as a mid-table defence spending member within three years.

He told the MoD that Britain could end up within the bottom third of the alliance’s 32 members without action.

Britain is also reportedly falling behind on meeting its Nato capability requirements on air defence, aircraft, tanks, drones and personnel, according to The Sunday Times.

The comments mark the latest in a series of stark warnings from current and former military figures over Britain’s lack of pace in ramping up defence spending.

The Government has set a target of spending 2.6 per cent of GDP on defence by April 2027, with an “ambition” to increase this again to 3 per cent after the next election.

Last week, The Telegraph revealed that Rachel Reeves was resisting pressure from defence chiefs to spend billions more on defence.

The Chancellor has rejected requests from the MoD to increase its budget amid concerns of a £28bn funding shortfall, with talks having hit a roadblock.

The discussions have also delayed the release of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which will spell out how Britain will equip its military over the next decade.

Britain was third place within Nato for proportional spending on defence in 2021, but has since fallen to 12th place, according to alliance data.

This is because other countries, particularly in eastern Europe, have ramped up their spending on defence following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, Nato officials are now concerned that without further and faster action, the UK could sink even further in the alliance standings.

Sir Keith Blount, a Royal Navy admiral and Nato’s outgoing deputy supreme allied commander in Europe, reportedly made similar warnings before Christmas.

Colonel Martin O’Donnell, a senior Nato spokesman for Sir Keith, told The Sunday Times: “I am not going to elaborate publicly on any private conversations that Nato leadership have had with anyone.

“What I can say is that Nato has made it crystal clear: European allies and Canada must do more. Delivering a credible defence spending path to 5 per cent, as agreed by all 32 nations in the Hague, as well as real military capabilities to the alliance, is a necessity now more than ever, and a long-term investment in Euro-Atlantic security.”

Mr Catsaras, Sir Keir’s former deputy national security adviser, has also reportedly raised concerns about Britain’s progress in meeting its Nato responsibilities.

The alliance issues capability requirements to each member state to ensure that Nato can deal with the threats it faces.

The Sunday Times reported that Mr Catsaras had warned that Nato believed the UK was falling behind other members in meeting its 2025 targets, and is 31st out of 32 members.

A Government spokesman said: “The UK is the third-highest defence spender of all Nato nations, and we are a leader in the alliance – from committing our nuclear deterrent to Nato to recently doubling the number of personnel to be deployed for Arctic and ‘High North’ security.

“We are delivering the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, hitting 2.6 per cent of GDP from 2027, and the UK defence budget will total £270bn across this parliament alone.”

They added: “The UK has also made the historic pledge to hit 5 per cent of GDP spend on national security, with a target date of 2035.

“With our allies, we are ready to deter together and fight together, and we welcome the increased spending on defence across Nato.”