Trump’s return means UK must swiftly find a way to increase defence spending | Peter Walker
Under Biden, the move could wait until the UK worked out how to meet its 2.5% GDP commitment. Not now
It has been one of the few political constants in a turbulent period for British politics: an agreement that defence spending really should increase. But in the second era of Donald Trump, what was a consensual background hum has suddenly become an ear-splitting alarm.
European Nato members, the UK among them, have long been used to US presidents urging them to spend 2% of GDP at a bare minimum, something only a minority of them manage.
Continue reading...
Read more at The Guardian
Topics
-
UK and EU countries must spend more on defence, says Lammy
The foreign secretary said Vladimir Putin would not "go away" even in the event of a negotiated peace in UkraineBBC News - 4d -
Russian defence spending exceeds all of Europe combined, study finds
IISS assessment lays bare challenges facing Europe should US cut back Ukraine military supportFinancial Times - Feb. 12 -
Starmer summons UK defence chiefs in tussle over spending
Donald Trump is pushing European governments to commit much higher funding to armed forcesFinancial Times - Feb. 12 -
Starmer vows to ‘spend more’ on UK defence but other areas face cuts
Departments asked to model savings of up to 11% as government battles chronic squeeze on public financesFinancial Times - 2d -
Peter Navarro: a loyal general returns to wage Trump’s trade wars
China hawk was thwarted in president’s first term but is now putting his vision of US trade protectionism into actionFinancial Times - 1d -
Trump vows to cut billions of dollars from US defence spending
President says ‘fraud and abuse’ at Pentagon will be Elon Musk’s next targetFinancial Times - Feb. 9 -
Trump Team Finds Loophole to Effectively Maintain Spending Freezes
Officials cite other legal authorities — not Mr. Trump’s court-blocked directives — to keep withholding foreign aid and domestic grant money.The New York Times - 6h -
UK must respect Trump's mandate, new US ambassador tells BBC
In his first day on the job, Lord Peter Mandelson says "we have to respect and understand what drives" the US president.BBC News - Feb. 10 -
EU to ease fiscal rules to boost defence spending
Activation of ‘escape clause’ will help countries ‘substantially increase’ military spending, says Ursula von der LeyenFinancial Times - 5d
More from The Guardian
-
Middle East crisis live: Hamas hands bodies of four Israeli hostages, including two children, to Red Cross in Gaza
Bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, who Hamas says were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as well as Oded Lifshitz, 83, handed over. After briefly being displayed on stage, ...The Guardian - 8m -
Philippines officials offer cash for mosquitoes amid rise in dengue cases
People in village near the capital line up with their haul, where a mosquito zapper and some pesos await. Village officials in the Philippines are handing out cash rewards to residents who capture ...The Guardian - 17m -
Trump calls Zelenskyy a dictator amid fears of irreconcilable rift
Remark follows Ukrainian leader’s claim US president living in a Russian ‘disinformation bubble’. The US and Ukraine appeared to be heading towards an irreconcilable rift after Donald Trump ...The Guardian - 6h -
Archaeologists discover first pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt in more than a century
Uncovering tomb of Thutmose II hailed as most significant discovery since Tutankhamun in 1922. It was when British archaeologist Dr Piers Litherland saw that the ceiling of the burial chamber was ...The Guardian - 8h -
Missouri man who pleaded guilty in shooting of Black teen at wrong door dies
Andrew Lester, who is white, was charged with assault after Ralph Yarl, who survived, rang doorbell by mistake in 2023. An 86-year-old Missouri man died just days after pleading guilty to a lesser ...The Guardian - 7h
More in World
-
Hamas to Hand Bodies of 4 Hostages Back to Israel
All four were abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023. They were expected to include a woman and her two children.The New York Times - 5m -
Middle East crisis live: Hamas hands bodies of four Israeli hostages, including two children, to Red Cross in Gaza
Bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, who Hamas says were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as well as Oded Lifshitz, 83, handed over. After briefly being displayed on stage, ...The Guardian - 8m -
Philippines officials offer cash for mosquitoes amid rise in dengue cases
People in village near the capital line up with their haul, where a mosquito zapper and some pesos await. Village officials in the Philippines are handing out cash rewards to residents who capture ...The Guardian - 17m -
Old photos show armoured vehicle transfer and border patrol, not 'Thai military preparing to enter Myanmar'
Yahoo News - 49m -
British firms among those that exported aircraft parts which reached Russia
Boeing one of more than 100 companies whose products reached Russian aviation industry via intermediaries in India. British firms are among more than 100 western companies, including the aerospace ...The Guardian - 51m
