Labour has emphasised it commitment to national security and also its historical connection with Nato
Labour has emphasised its commitment to national security and also its historical connection with NatoKeir Starmer flies out this week to a turbulent Washington DC for a Nato summit aiming to emphasise the UK’s commitment to Ukraine at a time when the forthcoming US election puts the medium-term American position in question.
To underline the point, John Healey, Labour’s new defence secretary announced a fresh package of military aid, consisting of high calibre ammunition, AS 90 artillery, and Brimstone ground attack missiles on an impromptu visit to Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa on his second working day in the job. Labour spent the election campaign repeatedly emphasising its commitment to a relatively traditional concept of national security, in contrast to the previous leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, with Starmer saying he would be prepared to use the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons if necessary.
But Labour did not match a Conservative commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by a specific date – 2030 – and experts said that if it was not necessary to do so during the election campaign, it would not obviously be necessary to do so at the summit, when such spending pledges are often made.
The reality is that Britain is the third largest donor to Ukraine among Nato members behind Germany, which is contributing €7bn, and the US, which is by far the largest. This spring, Congress agreed a fresh funding package worth $61bn, although it had been held up so long by Donald Trump-aligned Republicans during the winter and spring that Russia gained ground on the battlefield, particularly on the border near Kharkiv.
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