Britain tumbles down Nato rankings despite Starmer’s spending pledge

Matthew Savill, of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said the failure to match other countries’ spending growth risks undermining Britain’s position as a leader in military matters on the world stage. “It is about political prioritisation,” he said. “We have gone from being one of the few who are meeting [Nato’s] 2pc target to being in the middle of the pack.” This could prove to be “problematic” for the UK, he said – particularly as Nato’s 2pc target rises to 5pc by 2035 after pressure from Donald Trump, the US president. “The problem is that as the target has moved up, the onus falls back upon those who see themselves as leaders to take the lead,” said Mr Savill. “At that point, while the UK can genuinely point to good [military] capability, people can ask: ‘how come you are not increasing your rate [of spending] in a way that matches your rhetorical urgency?’”