Rishi Sunak arrived in Poland today to announce a £500 million boost in aid to Ukraine, using the trip to Warsaw to also finally put a timeline on increasing Britain’s defence spending. By 2030, the Prime Minister pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP. His announcements come ahead of a much anticipated meeting with German chancellor Olaf Scholz tomorrow – one which may prove to be more awkward than either leader had originally anticipated.
This morning, Berlin briefed out its displeasure at Westminster’s heel-dragging on UK spending contributions to European security. ‘There does not seem to be any plan to increase defence spending at all,’ a senior German official told Politico. ‘If the UK still wants to have a leading part in European security then it needs to increase its spending’. Scholz wouldn’t ‘lecture’ Sunak, the official added, but he would be sure to deliver this ‘message’.
The spotlight is firmly back on the Chancellor’s management of his own armed forces and commitment to Nato
During their bilateral tomorrow, the plan is for the two to discuss ‘issues of international politics’, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, a German government read-out stated.
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