Keir Starmer has been urged to exercise his influential position within Nato amid fears of just what Donald Trump’s second term will bring.
The US president-elect is expected to push all Nato members to increase their defence spending or he may refuse to fulfil the alliance’s pledge to defend other countries.
Right now, 23 European allies are expected to meet the Nato-agreed spending target of at least 2% of GDP on defence this year.
That may not be enough for Trump, though. He previously suggested members should be aiming for 4% of GDP.
Meanwhile, the pressure is on for eastern Europe amid worries Vladimir Putin could extend his war in Ukraine further into the continent, crossing into Nato states.
On LBC last night, former Tory chancellor Jeremy Hunt said this conversation around defence spending is “going to be a huge debate of next year” – and Starmer could play a large role in it.
He added: “We should not underestimate the UK’s influence in this debate.
“We’re not just the second biggest defence spender in Nato, but Keir Starmer is the only leader of a major Western country, who – if he chooses – is guaranteed to still be prime minister when Donald Trump has to leave the White House in January 2029.”
The current UK parliament does not have to dissolve until August 2029.
LBC host Andrew Marr acknowledged Starmer “has real heft there”.
Hunt continued:“There’s a lot of influence if he chooses to use it. This is a moment for him to rally other European countries.
“He certainly needs to commit to a timeline for the 2.5% [of GDP spent on defence] that we had before, but he needs to use that to get the French, the German and everyone else on board, and sustain American commitment to Nato.”
Starmer has been trying to forge a strong relationship with the incoming president, but is struggling to put his cabinet’s previous criticisms of Trump behind him.
Meanwhile, the Republican seems pretty determined to crack down on what he sees as inadequate defence spending.
Trump previously said he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” if Nato allies failed to “pay their bills”.