Starmer heads to NATO summit amid defence spending pressure

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attend a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, facing significant pressure from the United States and other allies over the United Kingdom's defense spending plans. The summit, scheduled for July 7-8, is expected to be one of Starmer's final major international engagements before he is anticipated to hand power to Andy Burnham within the next two weeks.

The UK government recently announced a new Defense Investment Plan (DIP), pledging an additional £15 billion for defense. Officials said this represents the biggest sustained boost to defense spending since the Cold War and would take Britain's total defense and security spending to 4.2% of GDP. However, the plan has drawn scrutiny for its pace. It projects defense spending rising from approximately 2.6% of GDP in 2027 to 2.7% by 2030, with an aim to reach 3% during the next parliamentary term.

This trajectory falls short of the targets agreed upon by NATO allies at last year's summit in The Hague. Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, members committed to spending at least 3.5% of GDP on core defense by 2035, with broader security investments bringing the total...