Keir Starmer reveals plan to hike defence spending to huge sum by 2027

 Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced he will increase UK defence spending to 4.1% of GDP by 2027, rising to 5% of GDP by 2035.

Britain's new nuclear bombers will keep the nation safe "in volatile times" the Prime Minister also declared, as he warned the UK faces "threats at home all the time." Speaking at a NATO summit in the Hague, he said the summit had sent "a decisive message to aggressors" after the Government warned this week that the UK must prepare for war.

Sir Keir was delivering a speech at a NATO summit in the Hague, in the Netherlands, attended by other leaders of NATO nations including US President Donald Trump. He said the UK was buying at least 12 F35 fast jets which would carry nuclear weapons if needed - in addition to the nuclear deterrent carried in British submarines.

He warned that Russia and Iran were regularly attempting online "cyber attacks" to sabotage the UK. Sir Keir warned: "It is a mistake to think that the only threat we face is external, far off. We do face threats at home, all of the time, on a daily basis there are cyber attacks that have to be dealt with." He added: "Also on the question of counter terrorism and state-backed actions in our country that are a very big threat, a real threat to our country that we have to take seriously."

The investment in new planes would support 20,000 jobs across the United Kingdom, he said. "Greater security for our country must go hand in hand with better lives for working people," he said.

Sir Keir said it was "the moment to unite, for Europe to make a fundamental shift in its posture" and the commitment by NATO members each to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defence and security measures by 2045 will make the alliance "stronger, fairer and more lethal than ever".

"This includes military spending as well as vital investments in our security and resilience, like protecting our cyber security and our energy networks," he said.

Sir Keir said that under the Nato new definitions "we estimate that we will reach at least 4.1% of GDP in 2027 keeping the British people safe and strengthening our leadership in Nato even further".

The Prime Minister insisted US President Donald Trump was a reliable ally - even though it appeared the UK was not given much advance warning of US plans to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, and Mr Trump has cast doubt in his commitment to deploying US armed forces to support NATO allies.

Sir Keir said his support for Ukraine "has not changed" even though the NATO summit failed to agree a statement condemning Russia's invasion. "Now is the time for Putin, who has been dragging his heels, to come to the table."

In a new defence strategy this week, the Government warned the nation must get ready for war.

It said: "The UK must actively prepare for a "wartime scenario" on British soil "for the first time in many years", the Government has warned.

In the national security strategy published on Tuesday, ministers said the UK now finds itself in "an era in which we face confrontation with those who are threatening our security".

The strategy aims to protect the UK at home and abroad, and also invest more in artificial intelligence (AI) and defence.

It draws on work across Government, including recent plans to revamp the defence sector and boost the economy by backing growth industries, with the aim of bolstering the security of the UK.

Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden told the Commons the whole country must now be "clear-eyed and hard-edged" about the threats it faces.

"We are in an era in which we face confrontation with those who are threatening our security," the strategy warned, pointing to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as the most pressing example.

Russian cyber attacks and sabotage, and Iranian "hostile activity" in the UK are also increasing, it warned.

The strategy added: "Meanwhile, some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression.

"For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario."