Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced the UK’s commitment to a new NATO target of allocating 5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to national security by the year 2035. The pledge comes as NATO leaders gather for a high-level summit in the Netherlands, where all 32 member nations — including the UK — are expected to adopt the ambitious spending goal.
The proposed spending breakdown will allocate 3.5% of GDP to core defence and 1.5% to broader security-related areas, such as cyber defence, border control, and resilience measures. The dual structure is seen as a compromise designed to satisfy US President Donald Trump’s calls for increased defence contributions, while providing flexibility for cash-strapped European nations.
Downing Street has indicated that initiatives like energy security and combating human trafficking could be counted under the wider security spending category.
The government also expects to hit the 4.1% mark by 2027, with the 1.5% “resilience” portion projected to be achieved by 2026. However, the full 3.5% core defence target is not expected until 2035 — a timeline that spans two general elections. The government has yet to outline how this expanded budget will be financed.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Starmer emphasized the link between defence and prosperity:
“We must navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility, speed and a clear-eyed sense of the national interest,” he said.
“After all, economic security is national security, and through this strategy we will bring the whole of society with us, creating jobs, growth and wages for working people.”
The Conservatives criticised the pledge as lacking funding and noted its long-term horizon. Meanwhile, the newly unveiled National Security Strategy highlighted a vision for the UK to become more “competitive and robust” in key areas such as science, trade, education, and emerging technologies.
NATO, which operates on the principle of collective defence, has faced mounting pressure since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump’s re-election last year. While member nations have long been expected to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence, only 23 countries reached that benchmark in 2023 — a notable increase from just three in 2014.
President Trump has previously stated that the 2% threshold is insufficient, calling for allies to increase their spending to 5%. In one controversial remark made prior to his re-election, he said he would “encourage” adversaries to “do whatever the hell they want” to countries failing to meet the target.
In response, Starmer announced earlier this year that the UK would raise its defence spending (as distinct from broader national security) to 2.5% by April 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% by 2034, contingent on economic performance.
At the summit, new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described the 5% pledge as:
“A quantum leap that is ambitious, historic and fundamental to securing our future.”
Still, questions remain about the enforceability of the target, as well as whether all member nations will be able — or willing — to meet it. Spain, for example, claimed it had secured an opt-out, though Rutte later denied this.
Ukraine, not yet a NATO member, is being represented at the summit by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been invited to the formal dinner but will not participate in North Atlantic Council discussions.
Reports indicate that contentious topics such as NATO’s Russia strategy have been removed from the official agenda.
