Trump aide takes aim on UK defence budget

MOD insists it is meeting Nato funding targets amid fears president will pull out of the military alliance

ONE of Donald Trump’s most senior aides demanded Britain increase its defence spending during a tense meeting before a Nato summit.

John Bolton, the US president’s national security adviser, told his UK counterpart, Sir Mark Sedwill, Washington was increasingly concerned by the lack of investment in the Armed Forces. The issue will take centre stage at next month’s Nato summit in Brussels, amid fears that Mr Trump will quit the alliance as he claims European nations are failing to pull their weight.

The US warning will strengthen the hand of Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who has demanded more cash for the military in an increasingly bitter row with Downing Street.

Gen Lord Houghton, who stood down as chief of the UK’S Armed Forces in 2016, yesterday accused the Government of “living a lie” over its defence budget and said ministers need to “come off the fence” and decide if they want Britain to remain a leading military power.

His comments came after Theresa May refused publicly to confirm that Britain would remain a “tier one” military nation.

Mr Bolton met Sir Mark, together with their French and German counterparts, on Monday, where a senior Whitehall source said there were “some frank conversations about our spending on defence”. Another wellplaced source said: “John Bolton made it abundantly clear what the Trump administration expects from Britain in terms of defence spending and its future military capabilities.”

While ministers insist Britain is meeting the Nato requirement of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, there are concerns that the real figure is around 1.7 per cent.

Mr Williamson says his department has a £2billion shortfall, which will force the Ministry of Defence to make cuts if extra funding is not forthcoming. Lord Houghton said it was “quite remarkable” that the NHS had been given an extra £20billion per year by the Prime Minister when total defence spending is just over twice that at £47billion.

He said: “By all means, more funding for health can win you a tactical advantage in domestic elections but they don’t enhance Britain’s influence and power and respect in the world.”

Lord Houghton said the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which promised a £178billion investment in equipment over 10 years, was the product of a “remarkably confident government… but in truth that programme was never affordable”.

The Commons Defence select committee yesterday said that without a 50 per cent increase in investment, UK forces would struggle to maintain “interoperability” with the US military.

A spokesman for the MOD said: “The UK maintains the biggest defence budget in Europe. We have been clear we will continue to exceed Nato’s two per cent spending target.”