Asked what he might say to people who assume the US President is setting UK policy, Sir Keir said the increase in defence spending is “very much my decision” and he has been “arguing for some time” that Europe and the UK “needed to do more”.
Sir Keir Starmer has denied that Donald Trump is setting UK Government policy, as he said that the choice to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP is “very much my decision”.
However, Sir Keir told the Commons on Tuesday that the changes will mean “spending an £13.4 billion more on defence every year from 2027”.
The increase in military funding increase is coming at the expense of the aid budget, which has triggered fierce criticisms from charities, but Sir Keir has defenced his choice, telling reporters that there is “no driver” of of poverty like conflict.
Sir Keir told MPs the plan amounts to “the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War”.
