Starmer faces likely row at Nato summit after US rebuke on defence spending

A Royal Navy F-35B fighter launched from HMS Prince of Wales intercepting a Russian Tupolev Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. Photograph: PO Phot Chris Sellars/PA View image in fullscreen A Royal Navy F-35B fighter launched from HMS Prince of Wales intercepting a Russian Tupolev Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. Photograph: PO Phot Chris Sellars/PA Starmer faces likely row at Nato summit after US rebuke on defence spending US ambassador to Nato has called for all allies who are ‘lagging behind’ to step up immediately Keir Starmer is likely to face a diplomatic row at his final major international summit this week after Washington’s ambassador to Nato called for alliance members who are “lagging behind” on defence spending to step up. The prime minister is due to arrive in Ankara on Tuesday for the annual Nato summit, where the UK commitment will be under scrutiny following the release of the government’s defence investment plan (Dip) last week. While this produced an extra £15bn for defence, the increase as a proportion of GDP will rise slowly, going from 2.6%in 2027 to 2.7% by 2030, with the intended “trajectory” to hit 3% in the next parliament. Under a plan agreed at last year’s Nato summit in The Hague, members agreed to reach at least 3.5% of GDP by 2035, as part of a total of 5% on defence and “defence-and security-related spending”. On Sunday night, Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to Nato , said certain Nato members were not moving fast enough: “Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way. “But many others are lagging behind, and President Trump expects all allies to step up immediately and not only get on a sustainable path to the 5% but to get to 5% as soon as possible.” Starmer will know that Whitaker and his US colleagues view the UK as being among the stragglers. There is also uncertainty about what might happen when Andy Burnham , as is likely, takes over as prime minister later this month. Over the weekend the new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, who took the post after John Healey quit last month over the Dip, called on Burnham to increase defence spending dramatically from 2030 and “evidence the trajectory” towards the Nato target. “What I absolutely will want to see is that in the next spending review we commit the resources to evidence the trajectory to 3.5%,” Jarvis said ahead of the Nato summit in Turkey. Jarvis, who is keen to remain in post, has been in contact with Burnham and his team already to discuss defence priorities and the Dip. “I’ve known Andy for a very long time and I have not a shred of doubt that as prime minister he will make sure that we’ve got the resources that we need at a point of challenge,” Jarvis said. skip past newsletter promotion after newsletter promotion It comes after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that British F-35 fighter jets were forced to intercept a