LONDON — Former NATO boss George Robertson called for a more honest conversation between national governments and voters as they prepare for massive hikes in defense spending.
Robertson, the ex-NATO secretary-general who led a major review of the threats faced by the U.K., backed Britain’s decision to sign up to spending 5 percent of GDP on defense by 2032.
But he said it would be especially painful for certain NATO member states, including the U.K.
He told POLITICO: “It will be painful, and it will be difficult, and it will require politicians to outline what the dangers and the risks actually are.”
He added that the British public were currently “unaware” that the country lacks comprehensive air and missile defense — and that “if they were aware of it that might change opinions.”
Bringing the public onside and persuading them of the imminent threat from Russia is one of the biggest risks to delivering higher spending in many NATO countries, he warned.
Keir Starmer joined other countries in signing up to NATO’s flagship pledge following demands from U.S. President Donald Trump for European member countries to shoulder more responsibility.
The British PM has faced criticism, however, for a lack of detail on how the higher spending total will actually be reached and for prioritizing defense while cutting other department’s budgets.
In July Starmer was forced to reverse plans to slash Britain’s welfare budget by clamping down on disability benefits.
The strategic defense review led by Robertson recommended that Britain move to “warfighting readiness” — but many questioned how the government would find the necessary funding, even before the 5 percent target was agreed.
Robertson acknowledged “it won’t be easy” for the U.K. to deliver on its commitment, but said it had to ratchet up spending because at present “we’re underinsured, we’re under-prepared, and therefore we are not safe effectively.”
He went on to say: “If you’ve been invaded, like in eastern Ukraine, what you spend on welfare and what you spend on justice and what you spend on education is almost irrelevant, because you are under the heel of an authoritarian regime.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said Britain was “entering a new era of warfighting readiness” which would be “driven by the biggest sustained boost in defense spending since the end of the Cold War.”
They added that the strategic defence review, which the government has accepted in full “will make Britain safer from new threats in a more dangerous world, including by investing up to £1 billion in new funding for UK air and missile defense.”
The Labour Party peer, who led the alliance between 1999 and 2003, also backed calls for European countries to redress the imbalance within NATO created by U.S. dominance.
He complained that this had been a “convenient” state of affairs for all parties for too long, including the U.S. — since it givens them “a superiority inside the alliance, which magnifies American influence and American spending”
The former NATO chief said Trump’s willingness to sign the communiqué at the recent NATO summit “vindicated” the conciliatory approach Starmer has taken.
He expressed hope that Trump’s forthcoming trip to the U.K. would “cement” the U.S. president’s commitment to collective defense, which has at times appeared under question.
Trump is due to visit `the U.K. in September for a rare second full state visit as Starmer seeks to further strengthen his relationship with the White House.
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