Keir Starmer will fly to the US on Wednesday ahead of crunch talks with Donald Trump, as the chancellor urged European allies to follow the UK in raising defence spending.
The UK prime minister will travel to Washington DC after facing his weekly grilling in the House of Commons, following his announcement of a dramatic increase in the size of the UK’s war chest, paid for by cutting the international aid budget.
Meanwhile, European nations must “step up and do more on defence”, Rachel Reeves said after the UK pledged to raise defence spending from its current 2.3% to 2.5% of the UK’s economic output by 2027.
Starmer will follow French President Emmanuel Macron in visiting Trump in Washington DC and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit on Friday.
Kyiv has agreed to a minerals deal which had been pushed for by the new US administration, according to Ukrainian officials, which could be signed off when their president visits Washington.
Zelensky had claimed the 50% share of rare minerals initially demanded by America would have been akin to selling his nation, but Ukraine now appears satisfied the deal will lead to a continued flow of US military support in its war against Russia.
Starmer insisted the increase in defence funding was “very much my decision” when questioned whether the US was now setting UK defence policy.
The UK will spent £13.4 billion more on defence every year from 2027, according to Starmer, something he acknowledged will require “extremely difficult and painful choices”.
To fund “the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War”, development assistance aid will be slashed from its current level of 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in 2027, a move which triggered fierce criticisms from charities.
The prime minister defended his choice, telling reporters it was “necessary for the protection of our country”.
Writing in the Daily Mail, the prime minister said Britain’s national security had “entered a new era”.
“Russia, North Korea, Iran—we now face enemies who would happily extinguish the light of democracy given the chance,” he wrote. “And they are increasingly prepared to work together to threaten our interests.
“We cannot hide from this threat. I know that working people have already felt the impact of Russian brutality through rising bills and prices.
“But unless Ukraine is properly protected from Putin, then Europe will only become more unstable. That will hurt us even more.”
Writing in The Daily Telegraph newspaper, Chancellor Reeves urged European nations to follow the UK’s lead in raising defence spending, amid uncertainty over the US’s commitment to European security.
“This is a generational moment for our continent. All of us must step up and do more on defence,” she said, as she travels to South Africa to meet with G20 finance ministers.
Reeves added: “That is why, over the coming days, I will be talking to European counterparts at the G20 in South Africa about the importance of security and defence for our economies, and how we can work together to bolster them.”
European leaders will meet in the UK over the weekend to discuss future defence, Starmer revealed, a gathering likely to feature a similar group to those who appeared at a recent summit convened in Paris, including leaders from Germany, Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands and the EU Commission.
Starmer and Macron both “reiterated that Ukraine must be at the heart of any negotiations” when they spoke over the phone on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said the minerals deal was part of wider talks between the two countries.
“We have heard multiple times from the US administration that it’s part of a bigger picture,” she told the Financial Times.
By David Lynch, PA Political Correspondent
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