Wed February 26, 2025
London CNN
Britain will accelerate an increase to its defense spending, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday, on the eve of a crucial visit to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington that is set to be dominated by the future of the war in Ukraine.
Starmer said he will raise military spending from 2.3% of Britain’s GDP to 2.5% by 2027, and then again to 2.6% the following year, as a rift opens up between Trump and Europe over the future of the conflict.
But he will fund the rise by cutting Britain’s already depleted foreign aid budget, which will now fall to just 0.3% of the country’s GDP.
