Trump is 'absolutely right': We 'must step up' on defence spending, Wes Streeting says
The Defence Secretary said: 'We’ve got to carry more of the responsibility for defending our own continent'
Donald Trump is "absolutely right" to demand more UK defence spending as Nato faces escalating threats from Russia, Wes Streeting has said.
Listen to this article
The Defence Secretary has said Britain needs to be war-fighting ready by 2030 after Nato warned Russia could strike a member state in the next four years.
Speaking at a summit in Keflavik, Iceland, Mr Streeting said: "We want to be deterring Russia, and we want to make sure that if deterrence fails, we’re ready to defeat our enemies.
"It’s why the Nato alliance is absolutely critical. Nato-first is our policy, but also it’s why I’ve been really keen to make clear to our friends in the United States of America that, as far as we’re concerned, President Trump and his administration have been absolutely right to demand more of the UK, more of Europe."
The Defence Sec added: “We’ve got to step up and carry more of the responsibility for defending our own continent."
Read More: Trump publishes senator's phone number online after daylight savings row
Read More: UK-Iranian national bailed after arrest for preparing terrorist acts amid RAF Fairford 'terror plot'
His comments come as Andy Burnham prepares for his first Budget as Prime Minister.
Chancellor John Healey has refused to comment on previous Labour promises to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030 despite resigning as Defence Secretary over the issue under Sir Keir Starmer's premiership.
Mr Healey suggested he would fully fund the Government’s defence investment plan (DIP) in the Autumn Budget.
Despite this, Mr Streeting, his successor, said that Labour was “well on our way” to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence.
"Bear in mind that when Labour came in, we were at 2.3 per cent," he said. "By next year, we’ll be at 2.7 per cent. That’s good going in a relatively short space of time."
Mr Streeting told The Telegraph: “I totally understand the scrutiny on this issue. I’d say two things, though. Judge us by our actions: we are already investing more and more quickly.
“And secondly, as much as it is important that we argue for more, we also need to focus on making sure the money we already receive is well spent.”
He said the MoD needed to "focus" on providing value for taxpayers by prioritising productivity.
Mr Streeting felt his ministry might have “a more than sympathetic hearing” from the Chancellor.
“But at the same time we can’t be complacent and just assume that we can send John Healey’s resignation in as our spending review submission and not justify to him, to my colleagues across Government and to the public, why that investment is necessary,” he said.
This comes as two Iranian men who arrived in the UK on small boats have appeared in court charged with an alleged bomb plot against the Jewish community in Manchester.
Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, were arrested in Manchester on September 20 and charged on Friday with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said.
It is alleged that the two men were in contact with an overseas third party, who may be in Iran, in relation to the plot.
A sixth man who was arrested in connection with a suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford has been released on bail, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said. The 25-year-old man, a dual UK-Iranian national, was arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
He was arrested on Thursday in the Borough of Westminster, London, where searches of two properties have now concluded. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, CTP added.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday the world was living through a dangerous moment and warned the West not to escalate a standoff over Ukraine by threatening the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which Moscow has made clear it would defend with nuclear weapons if necessary.
Mr Streeting attended the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a UK-led coalition of 10 northern European nations dedicated to securing the High North and Baltic regions, focused on escalating Russian threats.