UK defence spending plan ‘well short of what’s required’ and harder choices needed, says John Healey - UK politics live

Healey said Keir Starmer knows what is needed. double quotation mark The prime minister knows what the country needs for defence. He spelled out the threat this month when he said it is our intelligence assessment and the assessment of other countries in NATO that there could be an attack by Russia on Nato as soon as 2030. So Britain must set the head mark of spending 3% on defence in 2030, and a clear path to 3.5% in 2035. The commitment all Nato nations have made to each other and to their people … commands wide cross-party support. Our predecessors in this house experienced what happens when deterrence fails. Our predecessors in this House entrusted us with institutions like Nato that they created to keep us safe. We don’t choose the circumstances in which we serve or the responsibilities that fall upon us, either in this house or in government. And it’s the duty of our political generation now to ready Britain for the uncertainties of the years to come. The decisions that we make in the months ahead will be judged by those who follow us. At this dangerous time. I see the current defence investment plans falling well short of what is required, a rise of 0.08% from next year to 2030. No date for reaching 3%, no path to 3.5% by 2030. Well over half of Nato members will be spending 3% or more. And when allies are looking for British leadership, we must not fall behind. When NATO needs European nations to step up, we must not fall short. Our adversaries don’t follow timetable set by the Treasury.