Britain to spend 2.5% of GDP on defense by 2027 – Starmer
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an increase in defense spending, calling Russia a threat.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Voice of America.
In his speech in parliament, Starmer announced what he called "the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War," saying that the government would spend 2.5% of GDP on defense by 2027, with the goal of raising it to 3% after the next election and by the 2030s.
He added that NATO is "the backbone of our security" amid fears that the United States will withdraw its support for the military alliance.
Starmer also said that the UK would increase spending on intelligence and security services.
In his speech, he specifically called Russia a threat, saying that when he witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall, "if you had told me then that in my lifetime we would see Russian tanks rolling into European cities again, I would not have believed you. But here we are, in a world where everything has changed, because three years ago, that's exactly what happened."
Starmer said that the United Kingdom should be "proud of our response" to the war in Ukraine, including the fact that the British are opening their doors to Ukrainian refugees.
"One of the great lessons of our history is that instability in Europe will always end up on our shores, and that tyrants like Putin respond only to force. Russia is a threat in our waters, in our airspace and on our streets," the British Prime Minister said.
