Keir Starmer is heading for the US armed with a defence spending boost today as Western alliances hang in the balance.
The PM will fly to Washington as he braces for a crucial meeting tomorrow where he will urge Donald Trump to stand by Nato and Ukraine.
In a hopeful sign, Kyiv and America look to be on the brink of agreeing a deal to exploit mineral resources – which could encourage Mr Trump to maintain support.
Writing in the Mail, Sir Keir trumpeted his vow to hike military spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027.
The premier dismissed Labour complaints about slashing the foreign aid budget to fund the move, saying the world is entering an ‘era of hard power’ and capabilities had to be ramped up.
He argued that the deteriorating world order posed a ‘generational’ challenge and Britain ‘cannot hide’ from the growing threat posed by Russia and other hostile states.
‘The realities of our dangerous new era mean that hard power must now take precedence,’ he said.
‘The national security of our country must always come first.’
Sir Keir has set an ambition of spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence ‘in the next Parliament’.
But it is not clear how that would be paid for, with the foreign aid budget now set to fall from 0.5 per cent of national income to 0.3 per cent.
Although Sir Keir claimed his commitment will mean £13.4billion a year extra for defence from 2027, in fact it is more like £6billion in real terms.
The step was welcomed by the Trump administration, with defense secretary Pete Hegseth saying it was ‘a strong step from an enduring partner’.
However, Mr Trump has argued that European states should be spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence – far more than the US does.
And many critics warned said the boost will not be enough.
Former defence secretary Ben Wallace said it was a ‘staggering desertion of leadership’.
Aid charities also vented fury at the cut, with Labour former Cabinet minister David Miliband saying it was a ‘blow to Britain’s proud reputation as a global humanitarian and development leader’.
There has been huge pressure – including from a Mail campaign – to invest more in the UK’s security.
Alarm has been growing in Europe over how reliable an ally America will be under Mr Trump.
Earlier this week the US took an axe to decades-old alliances at the UN – voting with Russia, China and North Korea on resolutions about Ukraine.
It is thought to be the first time since 1945 that America has sided with Russia at the international body on an issue of European security.
The president used an awkward meeting with Emmanuel Macron in Washington on Monday to suggest it will be for Europe to provide guarantees in Ukraine if he strikes a peace deal with Moscow, three years after Putin ‘s full-scale invasion.
Mr Trump also jibed at another erstwhile ally, calling Canadian premier Justin Trudeau ‘governor’ in a reference to his claim that the country should become a US state.
Mr Trump reiterated his intention of imposing ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on the EU and UK over VAT – even though it is a sales tax rather than being levied on imports alone.
Sir Keir and Mr Macron held a phone debrief on the latter’s visit last night, and European leaders are expected to hold a summit in the UK on Sunday to take stock of events.
In a round of interviews this morning, Defence Secretary John Healey denied the UK had been too weak in its approach to Mr Trump.
He told Times Radio: ‘I think the UK has been really firm about the sort of principles and what’s required.
‘We’re recognising and we share President Trump’s aims to bring a durable peace and an end to the Ukraine conflict.
‘He’s pledged to bring Putin to the negotiating table.
‘There’s some way to go on that, and in the end, the US is the only force strong enough to put pressure on Putin to negotiate, and the only strongest force to stand behind any long-term peace to make sure that it doesn’t become a pretext for Putin to regroup, re-arm, reload, and then re-invade.’