Rachel Reeves says Europe must boost defence spending like UK

Rachel Reeves says Europe must boost defence spending like UK

Rachel Reeves has said Europe must boost defence spending, following the UK’s lead after Keir Starmer pledges to boost spending to 3 per cent.

In a move to underscore the reasoning behind the controversial budget shift, the chancellor wrote in The Telegraph it was the duty of the government to respond to Russian aggression by increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP in the next to years, before going further following the next election.

“This is a generational moment for our Continent. All of us must step up and do more on defence,” Ms Reeves said. “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.”