'NATO still central': Minister hits back at fears after Donald Trump pulls troops from Germany

Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds defended the future of the western alliance after Donald Trump announced the US was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany.

The US President's decision led Poland’s prime minister to claim Nato was "disintegrating”.

Read more: Trump suggests US will remove more than 5,000 troops from Germany

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But Mr Thomas-Symonds disagreed, with the Paymaster General telling LBC's Lewis Goodall: "I think that NATO is and remains absolutely central to our security.

"But there is undoubtedly a change within NATO in terms of that burden of defence spending. It's absolutely critical that the UK is leading in that, we are leading in that."

President Trump has suggested the US could withdraw even more troops from Germany than originally announced, following his fallout with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Germany plays host to the US's biggest basing location in Europe, with around 35,000 active duty personnel.

Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters that the decision was "in our interest and in the interest of the United States".

A Nato spokesman said the alliance was working with the US to “understand the details” behind the plan to withdraw thousands of American troops.

Poland's PM Donald Tusk also weighed in on the state of the security bloc and warned NATO is threatened by "the ongoing disintegration of our alliance".

He wrote on X: "The greatest threat to the transatlantic community are not its external enemies, but the ongoing disintegration of our alliance. We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend."

When asked if the UK could rely on President Trump anymore, Mr Thomas-Symonds said: " Yes, and I say that from a point of view of working as I do as a minister in the Cabinet Office.

"Of course, we've had issues where we've been in a different position from the President of the United States. Indeed, take the offensive war in Iran where the Prime Minister took a very courageous decision not to get involved in that.

"But of course, it remains a reliable relationship. But this is a different context. The world context is different.

"I see across government, every day, US and indeed UK armed forces working together in military bases across the world. There is a depth and a breadth to the intelligence and security relationship that is working extremely well and is working week by week."

The Cabinet Office minister was speaking after Sir Keir Starmer announced the UK would be joining a £78bn (€90bn) European Union loan scheme to support Ukraine against Russia.

The PM said the deal will be "very good" for relations with the bloc and create jobs in the UK.

Sir Keir has repeatedly outlined a desire to reset relations with Europe, including closer ties on security and the economy, but said it does not amount to a reversal of Brexit.

Asked about the deepening of the UK-EU relationship, Mr Thomas-Symonds said: I think that the pragmatic approach that we're taking, the ruthlessly pragmatic approach is absolutely in our interest.

We will have a rule shaping role. Yes, we will align in those sectors where it's in our interest to do so. There will obviously then be an independent arbitration panel to arbitrate on disputes.

We want to link our emissions trading systems and work together on, yes, decarbonisation, cheaper path to net zero, but also trying to bear down energy prices. And also, very exciting in my view, working opportunities for young Brits.

"What we have said is we will now be looking at other sectors, other parts of the single market across government, going through a process of looking where it is in our sovereign interest to align with European rules. And we're doing that to reduce red tape on business and to take away costs.

"That's the choice we are making, the choice to bear down on prices, a choice to take away red tape from businesses."