The Independent – Starmer flies into Nato summit – and defence budget flak
Sir Keir Starmer is at odds with military chiefs over his failure to set a timetable for increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, according to The Independent. Elsewhere, a large image of England footballers training ahead of tonight’s Euro 2024 semi-final match against the Netherlands. The winner of tonight’s match will face Spain in the final.
Keir Starmer flies to Nato summit with ‘iron commitment’ on defence spending – but no timetable
Sir Keir Starmer has doubled down on his “iron commitment” to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent but waded into a row with military chiefs as he failed to set a timetable to meet his pledge.
The new prime minister has flown to the Nato summit in Washington DC with his wife Victoria for his first international visit since winning the general election last week.
With the situation at crisis point in Ukraine after Vladimir Putin’s Russian army bombed a children’s hospital and Voydymyr Zelensky’s forces warned they are running out of ammunition, the defence gathering is being billed as the most important since the invasion began.
England have ‘confronted’ their shortcomings. Next up? Netherlands
As the magnitude of fixture becomes greater, England’s preparation actually becomes less intense. The squad have done most of the actual work already. A bit like with their successful approach to penalties, there can be a danger of over-preparation. Gareth Southgate is instead intent on doing most of the preparation in meetings, ensuring the team are conscious of the different challenges posed by a competent Netherlands side.
This is the benefit that comes with experience, and Southgate now has more semi-final experience than any other England manager in history. As he prepares for his third in a major tournament, it is one reason this occasion feels less momentous, albeit no less invigorating. The team just have bigger ambitions now.
“The great thing is we’re not sitting here happy with a semi-final,” Southgate said. “We want to go further…”
Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
If you are someone who reads every perspective of a story, here is a news summary of all of today’s front pages from today’s newspapers; summarised in a 2-minute read
Editorial 10 July 2024.
Wednesday’s front pages report on the Nato summit in Washington and England’s upcoming Euros match against the Netherlands – the winner will face Spain in the finals.
Most papers lead on UK politics. Sir Keir Starmer is heading to Washington to join the Nato summit where he’ll urge other European countries to up their defence spending. For many of the right-learning conservative newspapers, there are concerns Starmer is acting quickly enough and anger over Labour’s decision to rip up the Rwanda plan.
Many of the tabloids lead on the upcoming Euros match.