Sir Keir Starmer ‘must quickly’ raise defence spending or face ‘swingeing’ military cuts this year

Published

3 days ago

February 17, 2025

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Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure to quickly lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP or face new military cuts this year – even as he considers deploying troops to Ukraine, Sky News understands.

Defence sources said such an increase – which would amount to about an extra £5bn annually – is still far short of what is required to rebuild and transform the armed forces, stressing that an ultimate hike to at least 3% of national income would be necessary.

But the sources said a rapid rise in investment to the government’s promised target of 2.5% of GDP, from 2.3% at present, should prevent new swingeing reductions in capabilities – just as Donald Trump orders European militaries to be stronger.

“The truth is there needs to be more money now or else prepare for further cuts,” said one military insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A second defence source said: “We know the government is in a difficult financial position. But getting to 2.5% sooner rather than later would be enormously beneficial for their relationship with the new US administration, and the UK’s leadership role within NATO.”

The prime minister has pledged to set a path to investing 2.5% of GDP on defence but he has yet to say when this commitment will be announced, let alone by what date the target will be met.

Defence sources said they believe the Treasury wants to push the timeline out to the very end of this parliament – a delay that would leave the armed forces to “wither on the vine”.

“It is just not serious,” said a third defence source, sounding exasperated.

The UK position on defence spending came into sharp focus last week as European allies reeled from a barrage of criticism by the new Trump administration for their over-reliance on the US to defend Europe and support Ukraine.

Britain – a nuclear power – presents itself as the strongest European military within the NATO alliance and boasts of a special relationship with the US.

Yet, Sir Keir has stuck with his 2.5% target even as Mr Trump calls on allies to boost defence expenditure to 5% and take on a much greater responsibility for security in Europe.

Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, says the goal for all 32 allies should be “north of 3%”.

The reality of Europe’s weakness on defence has been brutally exposed by Mr Trump’s approach to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, with the president sidelining the UK, the Europeans and Kyiv.

US envoys are due to meet Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Monday as France’s president hastily convenes a meeting of European leaders, including Sir Keir, in Paris.

But, given the hollowed-out state of the UK armed forces, an announcement by the prime minister that he was considering sending British soldiers to Ukraine to help secure the peace as part of any ceasefire deal raised eyebrows within defence circles.

One insider questioned how Mr Starmer could propose such a challenging deployment without explaining how he was going to fill the army’s gaping gaps in weapons and manpower.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said any international security force of British and other foreign troops would need to be about 110,000-strong.

The UK would struggle to sustain a deployment of several thousand soldiers for any enduring length of time and would have to give up other commitments, such as a battlegroup of around 900 military personnel based in Estonia on a NATO mission to deter Russian aggression.

With defence matters in focus, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of the armed forces, and his fellow chiefs met with Sir Keir on Friday to talk to him about military capabilities.

It is highly unusual for such a meeting to take place and signals a desire by the prime minister to understand the thinking of his top brass.

The meeting came as an external team of experts, led by Lord Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary and former secretary general of NATO, was putting the finishing touches to a sweeping review of defence that the government has said will be published this spring.

The reviewers were tasked with setting out how to transform the army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force to meet future threats, but their ability to deliver has been constrained from the start by Downing Street saying this must be achieved within a defence spending target of 2.5% of GDP.

A government spokesperson said any suggestion the prime minister was considering raising defence spending beyond 2.5% “is purely speculation”.

The spokesperson said: “The Strategic Defence Review is wide-ranging, ensuring we look hard at the threats we face and the capabilities we need to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. As we have consistently said, the review will be published in the spring.

“To ensure the UK is prepared to deal with the changing threat, our budget increased defence spending by £2.9bn for next year and we are committed to setting a path to 2.5% of GDP on defence.”

UK

Starmer backs ‘democratically elected’ Zelenskyy after Trump ‘dictator’ jibe at Ukrainian leader

Published

6 hours ago

February 19, 2025

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Starmer backs 'democratically elected' Zelenskyy after Trump 'dictator' jibe at Ukrainian leader

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has spoken with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to give the Ukrainian president his backing after Donald Trump called him a “dictator”.

A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir called Mr Zelenskyy this evening and shared his support for him “as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader”.

The prime minister “said that it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War II,” the statement continued.

He also “reiterated his support for the US-led efforts to get a lasting peace in Ukraine that deterred Russia from any future aggression”.

Politics Live: Johnson responds to Trump’s ‘shock’ Ukraine claims

The call was held after Mr Trump took aim at the Ukrainian president in a post on his Truth Social platform.

It is likely the war of words will come up again when Sir Keir meets Mr Trump in Washington next week, to discuss security and Ukraine.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who had been under pressure to condemn Mr Trump’s attacks, earlier said Mr Zelenskyy “is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion”.

However, she said that Mr Trump “is right that Europe needs to pull its weight – and that includes the UK”.

She added: “We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending – there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk.

“That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.”

Labour has pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, from about 2.3% now, but there is no timeline as to when. This week Ms Badenoch admitted the Tories tried to increase the funding to 3% while they were in office but there “wasn’t enough money to do so”.

It comes against the backdrop of a war of words between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy, after officials from the US and Russia met in Saudi Arabia for talks to end the war – without representatives from Kyiv or Europe present.

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After Mr Zelenskyy complained of being excluded from the discussions, Mr Trump suggested the conflict could have been “settled very easily” and said “you [Ukraine] should have never started it”.

In response, Mr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday the American leader is living in a “disinformation space” created by Russia, which has repeatedly sought to blame Ukraine for the war.

Mr Trump has since hit back, saying Mr Zelenskyy “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left” and branding him a “dictator”.

Mr Zelenskyy was elected as president of Ukraine in May 2019. Elections were previously scheduled to go ahead in 2024, but they were not held as a result of martial law being in place.

Ex-PM: Trump’s comments intended to ‘shock Europeans into action’

Ms Badenoch’s remarks come after reports that Tory MPs wanted her to take a stand on Ukraine since Mr Trump’s interventions.

Ukraine latest: Trump calls Zelenskyy a ‘dictator ‘

Europe is scrambling to respond to a US shift in foreign policy – with Mr Trump making clear that Washington no longer sees the defence of the continent as its primary concern.

Earlier on Wednesday, former prime minister Boris Johnson, who was in office when the war began, claimed Mr Trump’s statements are “not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action”.

He asked when Europeans will “stop being scandalised about Donald Trump and start helping him to end this war?”

However on the other end of the political spectrum, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said that “calling Mr Zelenskyy a ‘dictator’ must be where the line is drawn”.

“It is my sincere hope that the whole political spectrum in the United Kingdom will speak with one voice in opposition to Trump’s lies.”

However defence secretary John Healey earlier reacted to the US president’s claim that Ukraine started the war.

The cabinet minister told reporters on a visit to Norway, near the border with Russia: “Three years ago, one country illegally invaded another, and since then, the Ukrainians have been fighting for their freedom.

“They’ve been fighting for their future, and they still are. So whilst all the focus may be on talks, not even negotiations, our concern as defence ministers is that we’re not jeopardising the peace by forgetting about the war.”

UK

British journalist Charlotte Peet missing in Brazil

Published

15 hours ago

February 19, 2025

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Father 'very concerned' as British journalist Charlotte Peet missing in Brazil

A British journalist has gone missing in Brazil, according to an association of foreign correspondents in the country, which is calling for authorities to step up the search.

Charlotte Alice Peet, 32, told a friend she was in Sao Paulo on 8 February but was planning to go to Rio de Janeiro before she disappeared.

Days later her family contacted the friend saying they had lost contact with the journalist.

She has worked as a foreign correspondent in Brazil, for organisations including broadcaster Al Jazeera and The Times newspaper, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The ACIE, the association of foreign press correspondents in Brazil, has issued a statement expressing concern about her disappearance, and to express sympathy for her family and friends.

It said the case was initially registered with police in Rio on Monday but referred to Sao Paulo, the last place she was known to have been before disappearing.

The Sao Paulo Public Security Secretariat said that the state department of homicide and protection of the person would assist in the case, according to the statement.

Charlotte worked in Rio more than two years ago as a freelance correspondent, then went back to London before returning to Brazil in November last year.

She is said to have contacted a friend in Rio on WhatsApp saying she needed a place to stay but was told the friend could not host her.

Ms Peet’s family have provided information about her flight to Brazil and a photo of her passport to help with the search.

“The ACIE and its board of directors call on the competent authorities to intensify the search in order to find the British journalist as soon as possible,” a statement on behalf of its president Edmar Figueiredo and its board of directors said.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who has been reported as missing in Brazil and are in contact with the local authorities.”

UK

Driver killed ‘showboating’ e-bike rider to ‘teach him a lesson’

Published

17 hours ago

February 19, 2025

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Driver killed 'showboating' e-bike rider to 'teach him a lesson'

A driver who tailed and deliberately rammed his car into an e-bike rider to “teach him a lesson” for pulling a “wheelie” in front of his car has been convicted of murder.

Liam Jones, 22, suffered serious chest and abdominal injuries and died at the scene after Abdirahman Ibrahim drove into the back of his electric bike twice in Sheldon, Birmingham.

West Midlands Police said Ibrahim, 21, initially struck Mr Jones and then sped up to hit him again, causing the cyclist to come off his bike and collide with a concrete bollard.

Ibrahim was convicted of murder on Monday following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

His brother, Abdullahi Ibrahim, 21, was a passenger in the Seat Leon and previously pleaded guilty to assisting an offender.

The siblings will be sentenced on 26 March.

The court heard how they first came across Mr Jones and a friend when they were riding their bikes shortly before midnight on Coventry Road on 1 August 2023.

Ibrahim was initially travelling in the opposite direction, but then turned at a roundabout and started to follow the bike riders.

CCTV footage showed the car close to Mr Jones, who performed a “stand-up wheelie” in front of the vehicle.

A pursuit then began, which ended with Ibrahim mowing Mr Jones down in Moat Lane.

Ibrahim then fled the scene and parked his car in Golden Hillock Road, Sparkbrook, while his brother called for a taxi to take them home.

West Midlands Police said during their journey the pair “casually stopped off at a shop in Coventry Road”.

The force said the brothers then split up, with Abdullahi Ibrahim returning to the car, which was later found parked in Hingeston Street, near the Jewellery Quarter.

He returned home in a taxi at just before 3am.

By this point, West Midlands Police said officers had already identified the vehicle involved and went to the brothers’ then home address in Yardley.

When officers arrived, Abdirahman Ibrahim was said to have told a number of lies about where his car was.

Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “Abdirahman Ibrahim was intent on causing harm to Liam. He could have turned off at any point, but he followed the riders and wanted to be in control.

“This was not a case of racing gone wrong as had been claimed by Ibrahim, but of him menacingly pursuing Liam and his friend.

“We believe he was angered by Liam’s showboating and wanted to teach him a lesson. He knew what he had done and did nothing to help, instead driving off.

“Tragically, Liam lost his life and Ibrahim will now spend many years of his own young life in prison.

“Ibrahim’s brother may have felt a sense of loyalty, but by trying to help his sibling he is now also a convicted criminal.

“We know Liam’s death caused a lot of concern within the community and our detectives have worked tirelessly – reviewing hours upon hours of CCTV footage and phone records – to ensure we achieved these convictions.

“While nothing will ever bring Liam back, we hope knowing those involved have been caught and are being punished will provide some solace to his family and friends.”