UK to announce increase in defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2025
Date
11/10/2024 4:19:32 AM
(MENAFN) A British newspaper reported that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce an increase in defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP starting in the spring of 2025. This decision is expected to be made shortly after Donald Trump’s inauguration as the US President following his victory in the presidential elections last week.
Sources from the UK government, the Labour Party, and the defense industry have indicated that the plan to raise defense spending will be presented a few weeks after Trump assumes office in January. The spending increase is anticipated to be announced between March and April 2025, with the aim of strengthening relations between the new US administration and the Labour Party.
The newspaper described the move as a "peace gesture" aimed at fostering positive ties with Trump’s presidency. Currently, the UK’s defense spending stands at about 2.2 percent of GDP, and this proposed increase would signify a significant rise in military investment.
Previously, former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had urged Starmer to boost defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2028 and then to 3 percent by 2030. In addition, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron had called for NATO members to increase military spending in anticipation of Trump’s potential return to the White House, stressing the importance of maintaining a strong alliance.
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