Starmer faces pressure to boost UK defence spending to 3%

Sir Keir Starmer faces increasing pressure to raise the UK's defense spending to 2.5% of GDP, particularly in light of upcoming discussions with Donald Trump, who has criticized European defense budgets. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called for urgent cross-party talks to address what he describes as a betrayal of Ukraine by Trump, stressing the need for the UK to bolster its defense spending to counter threats from Russia. Currently, the UK allocates about 2.3% of its GDP to defense, meeting NATO's target but falling short of the proposed increase. Chancellor Rachel Reeves indicated that the government is committed to reaching 2.5% but may need to make difficult fiscal choices, including potential cuts to other sectors. With pressures mounting from various political leaders, including members from the Conservative and Reform parties, the government is urged to clarify its timeline for achieving the spending goal. The topic of defense spending is likely to be a significant point of discussion during Starmer's visit to Washington next week.