Sir Keir Starmer is set to face criticism from Donald Trump at this week’s Nato summit over his defence spending plans.
The prime minister is set to meet key Nato allies as he travels to Ankara, Turkey, this week in what will be one of his final engagements in office.
But Sir Keir could find himself sidelined at the summit as officials and foreign counterparts are left disappointed in his recently published defence investment plan (DIP) and prepare instead for Andy Burnham to succeed him in No 10.
“The world leaders won’t embarrass [Starmer], but there will be enormous disappointment that Britain has sunk so low as to be an ‘also-ran’ in Nato,” a defence source told The Times.
“It’s now bumping along at No 12 in terms of defence spending and the worst in terms of meeting the commitments laid upon it by Nato, less Iceland, which doesn’t have armed forces.”
According to paper, Whitehall officials are concerned Donald Trump will rebuke Sir Keir at the summit, amid unhappiness over his spending commitments.
“The president is a very clear communicator. He has previewed where he feels our allies are underperforming on a defence commitment and he will deliver that message in person,” a senior US official said.
They added that “any specific consequences will be communicated at the time by the president”.
Tensions over defence funding have been mounting for months, with Mr Trump already having cast doubt on America’s commitment to the long-standing military alliance, which he has branded “a paper tiger”.
The president’s latest sabre-rattling raises the stakes for next week’s meeting of Nato leaders in Ankara, Turkey, with Mr Trump already having cast doubt on America’s commitment to the long-standing military alliance, which he has branded “a paper tiger”.
Sir Keir plan to hike defence spending by £15 billion came under scrutiny, with Downing Street unable to say exactly where the cuts required to pay for the increase will come from, with around a third deferred to the next budget.
Even with the latest increase, former defence secretary John Healey – who quit in protest at the level of extra military funding being offered – said the UK would be spending 2.7 per cent of economic output on defence in 2030.
Tensions over defence funding have been further fuelled by the US president’s designs on Greenland, which belongs to fellow Nato member Denmark, and the response of allies – including Britain – to the Iran war.
Last week, Mr Trump criticised defence spending by the UK and other European allies as he ramps up the pressure ahead of the crucial Nato summit.
The US president cited national military funding figures to renew his charge that America is bankrolling the protection of other countries “without getting any benefit”, as he branded the situation “ridiculous”.
Launching a fresh broadside at Nato on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Mr Trump wrote: “The United States spends more money on Nato than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing: US 999 Billion Dollars, United Kingdom, 90.5 Billion Dollars, France, 66.5 Billion Dollars, Italy, 48.8 Billion Dollars, Poland, 44.3 Billion Dollars.
“Others, including Germany, are MUCH LOWER. (2014-2025) Ridiculous!”
Although indicating to the contrary, the data highlighted by the president related to defence spending estimates by Nato members in 2025 alone, where US funding stood at 980 billion dollars (£733 billion) according to official published figures, compared with the 608 billion dollars (£455 billion) of all the other members combined.
