LORD ROBERTSON URGES UK TO INCREASE DEFENCE SPENDING

Lord Robertson, a former Nato secretary general and former Labour defence secretary, told MPs that Britain requires a heightened awareness of military threats facing the country. He urged the next prime minister to reconsider the level of defence spending planned by the UK government. Lord Robertson described the government's defence investment plan as "unconvincing" and stated that Britain's Nato allies were "disturbed" by delays to the plan. He wrote a strategic review of defence for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Sir Keir announced plans last week to increase military spending by £15bn over the next four years, following disagreement over defence funding. Lord Robertson told MPs that the delay to the defence investment plan had caused confusion within the Ministry of Defence and concern in the defence industry. He stated that the challenge of raising military spending to match the threats facing the UK "is now bigger, more serious, and earlier than we had anticipated", yet the defence investment plan itself does not meet this requirement. In April, Lord Robertson warned that the UK government displayed "corrosive complacency" towards defence.

Sir Keir attended a Nato summit in Ankara on Tuesday, where he is expected to face pressure to accelerate defence spending increases. The summit was attended by US President Donald Trump. Lord Robertson said that a degree of complacency exists across the country and among the entire political leadership regarding defence matters, a situation he described as "very very dangerous".