British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is 'trumpifying' himself. On the eve of his trip to Washington to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, Starmer announced on Tuesday a £6 billion increase in defense spending (¤7.2 billion). An amount that will be fully funded with development aid funds.
With this increase, the Defense Department budget will rise from 2.34% of GDP this year to 2.5% in 2027. Until now, the UK was expected to reach that level in 2030. Additionally, the Prime Minister announced that the increase will continue in the next term (if re-elected, obviously), reaching 3% of GDP. Starmer stated that this is the largest increase "since the end of the Cold War". However, it has been over four decades since the UK has raised its Defense investment to this level. Only Margaret Thatcher, between 1980 and 1983, increased military spending more.
The measure follows Donald Trump's policy, who has drastically reduced the U.S. development agency (USAID) to near annihilation, causing budgetary issues in Western allied countries in Africa like Ghana or Malawi. Starmer is not going that far. However, the £6 billion cut represents a 39.1% reduction in the budget of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the UK's cooperation agency.
The justification for the measure differs. While Trump seems devoted to Russia, Starmer stated that the increase in defense spending is necessary because "tyrants like Putin only respond to strength". The British Prime Minister announced in Parliament that "Russia is a threat in our territorial waters, in our airspace, and on our streets".
Domestically, the Prime Minister is taking a considerable risk with his own electorate. Development aid is popular among Labour supporters, in contrast to defense spending, which is favored by Conservative opposition.
The idea of cutting cooperation aid to allocate it to the Armed Forces is similar to the proposal put forward in last year's elections by the 'Trumpist' far-right Reform Party led by Nigel Farage, which finished third in those elections. In recent polls, this party is competing with Starmer's Labour Party for the top spot in British voter preferences.
Starmer also appears to be pursuing a policy of closer ties with the United States, an essential partner for London to continue projecting its influence globally. The Prime Minister will meet with Trump on Thursday at a time when U.S. isolationism seems to be at its highest since the U.S. Congress voted against joining the League of Nations, the predecessor to the UN, in 1920.
The British Prime Minister's announcement had an immediate impact in Washington. "A bold step from a longstanding partner", wrote U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on social media. Within the Trump administration, there is currently a debate on whether to use the threat of breaking military alliances to pressure allied countries into making trade concessions.
As reported on Tuesday by the Financial Times, Trump's most influential Trade advisor, Peter Navarro, has proposed expelling Canada from the 'Five Eyes' network. In this network, Canada, the U.S., UK, Australia, and New Zealand share intelligence. Canada would be expelled if it does not almost completely open its customs to imports from its southern neighbor. A similar measure for the UK would have a devastating impact on its global influence.