Sir Keir Starmer is facing fierce criticism at home and abroad over his long-term military financial commitment, which “falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time,” according to US defence under-secretary Elbridge Colby.
Colby’s comments come alongside the Trump administration’s announcement that it plans to shrink Nato’s pool of military capabilities the US provides to assist European nations in a major crisis.
The US will redeploy 50 aircraft from its 150-strong fleet of F‑16 and F‑15E jets, along with nine maritime reconnaissance planes and eight aerial tankers. It will also withdraw a submarine, an aircraft carrier and several warships – all currently used for Europe’s defence.
While the whole Nato Europe alliance is impacted, Mr Colby also urged Britain to bolster its military strength with “urgency, scale, and determination”.
Sir Keir Starmer is yet to detail how he will repair the defence budget which was the major reason why defence secretary John Healey and armed forces minister Al Carns both resigned.
