BORIS Johnson will today urge all Nato members to increase their defence budgets to help fight Vladimir Putin’s Russia amid a row about Britain’s own broken spending promises.
The PM said “all allies need to dig deep” in the decade ahead and increase the two per cent of GDP military spending target for members of the alliance.
But he has been warned the UK risks missing the level by 2025, and serving top brass have branded cuts to the Army “perverse” following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
In an eve of summit embarrassment, PM Mr Johnson was forced to admit that he has torn up a flagship manifesto pledge to increase spending on the Armed Forces by 0.5 per cent above inflation every year.
And risking claims he is cooking the books, the PM said Britain was spending 2.3 per cent of GDP on defence this year, while Nato put it at 2.12 per cent for 2022.
Confronted by the discrepancy on his way to Madrid, a gruff Mr Johnson simply said: “We’re right”.
Read more on Boris Johnson
But it emerged last night that the UK is counting £1.3billion of military aid to Ukraine as defence spending, which Nato has not fully counted.
Mr Johnson repeatedly dismissed calls for a major uplift in the UK’s defence budget as he insisted that last year’s spending review “cemented the UK’s position as the biggest defence spender in Europe.”
But yesterday Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss went public with calls for significant cash injection to make sure Britain hits its own target. They were backed by top brass and Labour who railed against cuts to troop numbers.
As Nato leaders gathered in Madrid, Mr Wallace said the British military survived for too long on “a diet of smoke and mirrors, hollowed-out formations and fantasy savings”.
Liz Truss told MPs later: “I agree with his concerns.”
And new army chief, General Patrick Sanders, publicly warned it would be “perverse” to shrink troop numbers as planned from 82,000 to 72,500 during the Ukraine war.
Sources say at least £4billion more will be needed to make sure the UK does not miss the two per cent pledge by 2025.
The MoD has said the country is on target to do inside two years because of inflation.
On his way to Spain, the PM told HOAR: “Last year we were the third biggest defence spender in the world.
“We’ve another £24billion going in under the current spending review, the biggest since the end of the Cold War.”
He slapped down demands for a hike, saying the UK had “more than met” the pledge to exceed the two per cent target.
The PM added the whole alliance must “respond to the way the threats continue to change” in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
He said he would be “having conversations” in Madrid with other countries to up their spending in the light of the resurgent threat from Russia.
And he will tell the summit today: “We need allies — all allies — to dig deep to restore deterrence and ensure defence in the decade ahead.
“The two per cent was always meant to be a floor, not a ceiling, and allies must continue to step up in this time of crisis.”
While Mr Johnson is expected to unveil new defence spending this week, he was forced to admit a key election promise could no longer be met because of soaring prices.
In the Tories’ 2019 election manifesto, he vowed to raise the defence budget by at least 0.5 per cent above inflation every year of the new Parliament.
But a Government source said: “The manifesto was written before £400billion had to be spent locking people up for their own safety because of the global pandemic.
“There is a reality check on things that were offered in a different age which is the only reasonable thing that we can expect.”
The PM’s spokesman said last year’s £15billion defence uplift had cemented the UK’s position as the biggest defence spender in Europe.
But breaking the manifesto pledge puts Mr Johnson on a new collision course with his backbenchers, some of whom favour a four per cent hike this year.
Justifying tearing up the manifesto, the source added: “The intention is always to honour manifesto commitments but they were made before £400billion was spent coping with a global pandemic that none could have possibly foreseen.”
Read More on HOAR
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey accused Mr Johnson of breaking his defence pledges to the public.
He said: “With increasing and rising Russian threats, ministers must reboot defence plans and halt army cuts now.”
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.hellofaread.com/politics/nicola-sturgeon-reveals-date-she-wants-new-scottish-referendum-as-she-mounts-fresh-independence-push/
