The Labour Government have been told to stop “dragging their heels” over defence spending as uncertainty remains over when the UK will reach 2.5% of GDP.
It comes as US President Donald Trump says NATO nations should be spending 5% of their national income on defence at a time of heightened tensions across Europe and the Middle East.
Labour says it will increase defence spending to 2.5% when economic conditions allow but have yet to provide a timeline, with the Lib Dems saying the increase is “shrouded in delay and uncertainty”.
Lib Dem spokesperson Helen Maguire MP said: “At a time when Europe faces its gravest security crisis in decades, this is unacceptable.
“Promises without a clear path are hollow, and the Government should commit to setting out by Easter a detailed and credible plan for reaching 2.5%.”
She added: “The Government must stop dragging their heels, set out the pathway to 2.5% and end the uncertainty.”
Reports emerged over the weekend that spending 2.5% of GDP on defence could be delayed beyond 2030 with Sir Keir Starmer resisting pressure from the military and Trump due to the poor state of public finances.
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge pressed Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard “to disown such talk”, and said: “Is it not time that Labour backed our Armed Forces with action, rather than just words?”
Mr Pollard didn’t set out a timetable for the boost but said the path to 2.5% will be laid out in spring when the long-awaited defence review is published.
The minister said the Government has a “cast-iron commitment” to 2.5% and that Labour inherited “a hollowed-out and underfunded military” from the Tories.
Other MPs also raised concerns, including Labour MP Tan Dhesi, chairman of the Defence Select Committee.
He said: “Surely the cost of fighting a war, notwithstanding the human cost, is significantly higher than that of having a credible deterrent force.”
Mr Pollard agreed and pointed to the UK’s continued support to Ukraine as an example.
The concerns add to the five former defence secretaries who told The Sun that delaying the military spending boost would be “reckless”.
Latest NATO figures show the UK spent 2.3% of its GDP on defence in 2024, making it one of 23 nations in the 32-member alliance to be hitting the 2% target.
