Nato chief says UK must set a credible route to higher defence spending

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said he was confident the UK would reach the alliance’s target of spending 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035. He said ministers accepted the need for annual increases, but the detailed plan would not be established until next year’s spending review.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has said he is confident the UK government understands the need to establish a credible route towards higher defence spending. Speaking to the BBC after meetings in London, he said ministers accepted that spending would need to rise in annual steps rather than through a single increase shortly before the 2035 deadline.

Rutte said he was “absolutely confident” in the UK’s commitment to Nato’s target of defence spending equivalent to 3.5% of gross domestic product by 2035. The figure is up from an estimated 2.6% this year. However, he said the precise pathway would not be set out until next year, when the government conducts its spending review.

The government has also committed to an interim target of 3%, but has not yet specified when it will reach it. The date is expected to be announced next spring, when long-term budgets for government departments are set. Pressure has mounted on the government to commit to reaching that milestone by the end of the decade, with Chancellor and former defence secretary John Healey previously arguing that such a pledge would demonstrate Britain’s seriousness about the Nato goal.

Rutte said the 3.5% target could not be achieved “in one go in 2034”. He has encouraged Nato members to avoid delaying substantial spending increases until shortly before the deadline. The alliance chief said the UK’s ministers understood the need for yearly increments, while leaving the details to the spending review.

He also argued that defence spending should be considered separately from welfare policy. Rutte said economic growth would be essential if governments were to meet military commitments while continuing to fund welfare, healthcare and pensions. The Conservatives have called for increased defence spending to be financed through benefit cuts, while the government has said national security should not come at the expense of social security.

In the same BBC interview, Rutte described recent Russian military activity in western Ukraine as a sign that Vladimir Putin was becoming increasingly desperate. He also said Nato allies could discuss how to respond to developments in the Red Sea, adding that the alliance would be willing to help if needed.