With rumours swirling that the Ministry of Defence will see its budget boosted in next week’s spring statement it’s hard not to wonder: was Donald Trump right? The former President repeatedly criticised Nato members in Europe for not contributing enough to support the alliance, relying instead on the US to shoulder the burden. And while the UK has met the Nato commitment to spend 2 per cent of its GDP on defence, we’ve seen a massive decrease in our defence budget over the last half century.
As war returns to Europe, a consensus view has emerged – that the UK grew complacent when it came to security. We recoiled at Emmanuel Macron’s plans for a ‘true European army’, while spectacularly underestimating Russia’s disruptive potential.
The tide has gone out and we’re now discovering who’s been swimming naked. Germany has been spending 1.5 per cent of GDP on defence; Spain 1.4 per cent.
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