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KEIR'S VOW
Tyrant Putin only responds to strength – we have to fight for peace with action, Keir says as he hikes defence spending
It comes just a day before Sir Keir jets off to Washington DC for a showdown meeting with Donald Trump
SIR Keir Starmer has vowed to pump an extra £13 billion into defence, warning “tyrant” Vladimir Putin only responds to strength.
The PM today laid out a plan to raise the military budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP within two years - and then to 3 per cent after the next election.
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The cash boost will add an additional £13bn a year to armed forces coffers from 2027, according to the PM.
But only £6 billion of that is actually new money - calculated as the difference between spending 2.3 per cent and 2.5 per cent of GDP.
The £13 billion figure is based on a comparison with a hypothetical scenario where defence spending was frozen in cash terms rather than rising with GDP.
Meanwhile, part of the increase will be funded by cutting £6 billion from the hate foreign aid budget, reducing it from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP.
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Addressing the nation this afternoon, Sir Keir said there was a “security imperative” to boost defence spending but that it was also a “tremendous opportunity”.
He said: "Unless Ukraine is properly protected from Putin then Europe will only become more unstable – and that will hurt us even more.
"Furthermore, the great lesson of our history is that tyrants like Putin only respond to strength.
"So today I have announced the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War."
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It comes just a day before Sir Keir jets off to Washington DC for a showdown meeting with Donald Trump.
The US President has demanded Western leaders drastically increase their defence budgets rather than relying on America.
Asked if Trump's White House had bounced him into today’s decision, Sir Keir replied: “I think in our heart of hearts we’ve all known that this decision has been coming for three years, since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.
“The last few weeks have accelerated my thinking on when we needed to make this announcement and I’ll be very clear about that. Because it is absolutely clear that the decision that, as it were, started life three years ago needs to be taken now to rise to the challenge that we have to face.
“The conflict in Ukraine is about the sovereignty of Ukraine but it’s also about security and defence in Europe and our security and defence, and the first duty of government is to ensure that citizens are secure and that’s why I’m taking that as a matter of duty and responsibility today.”
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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly said the increase was "excellent".
The Sun understands John Healey, the Defence Secretary, called his US counterpart moments after the announcement in parliament.
A source familiar with the call said the Hegseth hailed it a "great leadership step".
In an historic statement to a packed out Commons, the PM said: "I know this House will endorse the idea of achieving peace through strength.
"Russia is a menace in our waters, in our airspace and on our streets.
"Instability in Europe will always wash up on our shores.
"Tyrants like Putin only respond to strength.
"If we do not achieve a lasting peace then the economic instability, the threats to our security, will only grow."
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Addressing his trip to the Oval Office tomorrow, the PM added: “When I meet President Trump, I will be clear I want this relationship to go from strength to strength, but strength in this world also depends on a new alliance with Europe.
“We must change our national security posture, because a generational challenge requires a generational response, that will demand some extremely difficult and painful choices.
“And through those choices, as hard as they are, we must also seek unity, a whole society effort that will reach into the lives, the industries, and the homes of the British people.”
Sir Keir vowed the defence boost will "translate into British growth, British jobs, British skills… to rebuild our industrial base”.
On Sunday Britain will convene a meeting of European leaders for further talks on Ukraine and bolstering armies across the continent in light of Trump's foreign policy shift.
Sir Keir had already pledged to raise military spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP but had refused to lay out a timetable to hit the target before the election.
Mounting calls from Mr Trump, NATO leaders, military top brass and the Tories to reach the target have been growing in recent weeks.
A renewed urgency also comes from peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, where Sir Keir has committed to put British boots on the ground.
Sir Keir's announcement this afternoon sparked turmoil among swathes of Labour MPs.
Furious party members and backbenchers desperately fired off messages to whips and ministers in a bid to block the popular decision.
ANALYSIS
By Jack Elsom, Chief Political Correspondent
AS is so often the case for prime ministers, Sir Keir Starmer is being buffeted by global events outside his control.
Today’s uplift in defence spending has been brought about just as much by the man in the White House as it has the man in No10.
Donald Trump’s demands for European leaders to hike their military budgets and cease free-riding off America has jolted allies into action.
Yes, Sir Keir has long promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP - but the new US administration has created a fresh sense of urgency.
Now he has something to sell to the notoriously transactional Trump when he heads to Washington this week.
The Sun has long demanded more money for our armed forces, joining calls from top brass, MPs, and NATO leaders to safeguard our defence and security.
And many will be delighted that Labour is taking an axe to our foreign aid spending to pay for the armed forces cash boost.
We recently revealed the millions being frittered on ludicrious overseas projects, like studying shrimp health in Bangladesh or gifting electric cars to Albanian jails.
It is also a shrewd political move from the PM - poll after poll shows voters favour slashing foreign aid spending.
Some will say it is “too little too late”, but now Sir Keir has some real ammunition to answer his critics.
The Sun understands some lefty low-level members of the government considered resigning in anger at the move.
Other left-leaning MPs were almost in tears.
International Development Committee chair, Sarah Champion, said: "I urge the Prime Minister to rethink today’s announcement.
"Cutting the aid budget to fund defence spending is a false economy that will only make the world less safe.
"I am bitterly disappointed to see the Government abandon this agenda."
He has, however, dismissed demands from senior officers to hike defence spending to as much as 2.65 per cent of GDP - a move that would cost an extra £10bn.
Cabinet departments have been bracing for deep spending cuts in order to fund the massive armed forces cash injection.
Responding to the PM's announcement, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: "I welcome his announcement on repurposing money from the overseas development budget, that is absolutely right.
"Having said that, can the prime minister say in confidence that the 2.5% by 2027 is sufficient? Because we need to look at exactly how he funds it.
"He must not raise taxes further, as it will destroy our economy.
"We need a strong economy to pay for strong defence. He cannot borrow more."
10 examples of shocking foreign aid spending
EARLIER this month, The Sun revealed some shocking examples of overseas aid spending on ludicrous projects. Here are some of the most questionable cases...
1. Studying shrimp health in Bangladesh - £133k
2. Mental health research in Colombia - £233k
3. Accountability and inclusion in the Congo - £9.5m
4. Gender disinformation conference in Kenya - £110k
5. Women's Affairs director for the military of Jordan - £500k
6. Fleet of electric Porsches for Albanian jails - £500k
7. Inclusive green enterprises in India - £114million
8. Transforming feminist funding in Iraq - £5million
9. Studying disinformation in Ethiopia - £264,000
10. Studying Thailand's alcohol policies - £44,000
Urging the PM to ditch the Chagos handover deal, she added: "Does he agree that the first thing that must be looked at is spending billions of taxpayer money leasing back a defence base on Diego Garcia that we currently own?
"Why is the prime minister still pursuing this deal? Earlier today, I made a speech about the realism that should drive our foreign policy.
"As part of this, the Prime Minister must scrap his disastrous plan to surrender the Chagos islands and have British taxpayers pay for it."
Labour has commissioned two retired generals to carry out a Strategic Defence Review.
The party previously said it will wait until Spring before setting out a pathway to 2.5 per cent.
But ahead of meeting Trump, the PM has been pushed into forming a plan early.
Furious charities today lashed out at Sir Keir over his popular decision to slash overseas aid.
Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development and humanitarian assistance said: “This is a short-sighted and appalling move by both the PM and Treasury.
"Slashing the already diminished UK aid budget to fund an uplift in defence is a reckless decision that will have devastating consequences for millions of marginalised people worldwide.
"Following in the US’s footsteps will not only undermine the UK’s global commitments and credibility, but also weaken our own national security interests."
Ed Miliband's brother, David Miliband, who is President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said: "The UK government's decision to cut aid by 6 billion in order to fund defence spending is a blow to Britain’s proud reputation as a global humanitarian and development leader.
"Now is the time to step up and tackle poverty, conflict and insecurity, not further reduce the aid budget."
Afghan war veteran Mike Martin MP, author of How to Fight a War, said the spending hike was “a great first step”.
But the Lib Dem insisted that “credible defence” would cost at least 3 per cent of GDP by the end of the current parliament
He said: “This is a national emergency. We don’t want to fight a war, we want to deter a war, Deterence is the name of the game
“But for the last 20 years we have been sending all the wrong signals. That is why Putin invaded Ukraine.
"Hopefully this is a turning point. We are on a pathway now to higher and higher defence spending and I suspect by the end of this parliament we wil hit 3 percent.
“To do credible defence of the Euro Atlantic, with allies, we need to be looking at 3 per cent as a start point. It will help us prevent war."
Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the RUSI think tank hailed it as the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since World War Two.
He said: "This announcement marks the largest sustained increase in the defence budget since the war."
He said some of the extra cash would "fill gaps" but insisted it could transform the way the military fights.
He added: "The commitment to 3% by the mid-2030s is enormously significant.
"It is an opportunity to finance a transformation in how our military fights, ensuring that innovation is not always squeezed out by spending on big platforms."
UK wastes BILLIONS on crazy foreign projects
Earlier this month The Sun revealed how British taxes are being squandered on shrimp farms in Bangladesh, poetry workshops in Colombian jails and gender lectures in Kenya.
UK workers also fund diversity training in the Jordanian army and cyber security for India — while pressure mounts to raise our military budget and millions wait for an NHS appointment.
Britain spends around £15billion per year on overseas aid, £9billion of which is by the Foreign Office.
A recent US crackdown on its scandalous state waste has sparked demands for a UK version.
President Donald Trump hired billionaire Elon Musk to head up a Department of Government Efficiency and it has wasted no time shuttering aid, green and diversity, equity and inclusion projects at the stroke of a pen.
Among the worst cases, the past three years have seen the UK hand more than £133,000 to Bangladesh Agricultural University to study shrimp health.
The most recent £59,000 payment from taxpayer-bankrolled quango the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture was made in September.
Taxpayers are also funding woke ideology around the war-torn Third World.
In January 2024 the Science Department paid £233,000 to “identifying barriers to mental healthcare for civilians affected by armed conflict in Colombia”.
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Last December the Foreign Office paid a contractor £9.5million to support “accountability and inclusion” in war-ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The department also funded a £110,000 conference on “preventing gender-based disinformation” in Kenya, and £473,070 for a Criminal Justice Adviser in Somalia.
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