LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Saturday he would publish the government’s defence investment plan before the alliance’s summit in Ankara next month, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
In a call earlier on Saturday, Starmer and Rutte agreed allies must strengthen collective defence and deliver more quickly in response to shared and evolving threats.
The call follows mounting political pressure on Starmer after John Healey resigned as defence minister on Thursday, accusing Starmer of failing to commit the resources that are needed to keep Britain safe from mounting threats.
“The prime minister updated on plans for the defence investment plan, underlining his commitment to publish it ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“The NATO Secretary General welcomed the UK’s increased investment in defence as an important contribution to the alliance and to meeting the threats we face,” the spokesperson added.
The NATO summit in Ankara is scheduled for July 7-8. Britain’s defence investment plan had been due last year.
Starmer also reiterated his aim to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP in the next parliament, and said national security remained the government’s top priority even as it makes difficult budget choices.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Timothy Heritage)
