Britain’s Defence Secretary has called on Western nations to be brave and step up in the face of increased threats to peace. Grant Shapps said the costs of war would be unimaginable and called for Nato members to match a new pledge to invest at least 2.5 percent of national income on the military. The UK has set an example by increasing its defence spending to 2.5 percent by 2030, and Mr Shapps said other Nato countries should now ‘step up’ and do the same. He said: “Together we can create a safer, stronger alliance. The minimum spend must be raised to 2.5 percent.” Mr Shapps and Rishi Sunak will push for allies to set the new target when they meet for the Nato 75th anniversary summit in Washington DC. But most Nato members have failed to meet or are only just reaching the two percent target set a decade ago. Mr Shapps stressed the threat has increased significantly over the last ten years with growing hostility from the so-called Crinks – China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The Defence Secretary’s rallying cry comes after Mr Sunak’s whistle-stop visit to Poland and Germany to lay out Britain’s plan to invest an extra £75billion by the end of the decade. Despite the significant increase in spending, the PM insisted the government would still be able to “invest in public services and cut people’s taxes”. Defence spending will increase gradually over the next six years, reaching £87billion a year by 2030. Mr Sunak said there was “record investment in our public services”, including the NHS and Education. He said: “That’s not going to change, it’s going to continue. We have record investment in our schools, that’s not going to change. Its going to continue to increase. And alongside that we are able to cut peoples taxes. “We have made a choice and I am not shying away from that choice. All governing is about prioritising. I have decided to prioritise defence because I think that is the right thing to do for our country.
“I am not going to get into writing the next manifesto here and now, but what I am confident about is that if you have a strong plan for the economy as we have and that plan is working, we stick to that plan and we will be able to continue increasing defence spending. “It is a completely funded plan. We have got a very clear idea of how to reduce civil service headcount which has grown considerably over the last few years, and we can bring that back and use that to fund what I announced yesterday. “And alongside that, continue to invest in public services and cut people’s taxes.” At a press conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Mr Sunak praised Germany for increasing its defence spending, and hailed a strong bond between it and the UK. He said: “At this dangerous moment, the bond between our two nations is stronger than ever. We meet as a war rages on our continent and new threats are rising around the world.” He congratulated Mr Scholz on his leadership and taking the “historic decision” to increase Germany’s defence spending. “We stand here today together as the leading defence spenders in Europe,” he added.
