Shapps: We can’t play Russian roulette with Nato funds

NATO countries that do not spend two per cent of GDP on defence spending are playing “Russian roulette” with the West’s future, Grant Shapps warns today.

In an article for The Telegraph to mark the military alliance’s 75th anniversary, the Defence Secretary argues allies must accept we are now in a “prewar” world. Last year,just 11 Nato members met its 2 per cent target, first set almost two decades ago, with France and Germany among the nations who spent less on defence. That figure is expected to rise to 18 this year, with Paris and Berlin recently announcing they will hit the target in 2024, but others in the 32-nation alliance have not.

Mr Shapps writes: “We must look beyond that target to shore up our defences. Yet some nations are still failing to meet even the 2 per cent. That cannot continue. We can’t afford to play Russian roulette with our future.”

Making reference to Nato’s anniversary, Mr Shapps warns: “Paying tribute to Nato’s past is not enough. Today we must give urgent thought once again to the alliance’s future. We have moved from a post-war to a pre-war world.”

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, deployed a similar message yesterday during a two-day trip to Brussels for a Nato summit of foreign ministers. He told allies spending 2 per cent on defence was the “best way to prepare for the American elections in the autumn”, in a clear reference to the possibility of a Donald Trump victory.

Mr Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, triggered outrage in February when he said he would “encourage” Russia to attack Nato members who were not hitting the target. In a speech later, Lord Cameron raised concerns younger people are not as pro-nato as during the Cold War, saying “we have to win the argument with Nato all over again with a new generation”. He also warned that Nato would face a “very bleak future” if its allies allow Vladimir Putin to succeed in Ukraine.

The tough messages to Nato allies from Mr Shapps and Lord Cameron come as the Conservative Party is locked in an internal debate about how high to raise UK defence spending.

Currently about 2.3 per cent of GDP is spent on defence by the UK. Rishi Sunak has an ambition of raising it to 2.5 per cent but has put no timeframe on when that will happen. Three former Tory defence secretaries, Sir Michael Fallon, Sir Gavin Williamson and Ben Wallace, said last month that they want a 3 per cent election manifesto pledge.

The 11 nations who hit the 2 per cent Nato target in 2023 were the UK, the US, Denmark, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Greece, and Poland.

The US spent the second most on defence at 3.2 per cent of GDP - much more than the UK as a proportion of the economy.

‘Tributes to the past are not enough. We must give urgent thought once again to the alliance’s future’

BIG Brother ruling with an iron fist. Misinformation warping the truth. A population terrorised by the fear of the unnamed terrors in Room 101. Seventy-five years on since its publication, the gaps between George Orwell’s masterpiece 1984 and Putin’s modern-day dystopia are closing by the day.

Yet Orwell wasn’t writing his magnum opus with a crystal ball in his pocket. He simply looked at the world around him. One year before 1984 hit the shelves the Kremlin was orchestrating a coup in Czechoslovakia, blockading West Berlin – cruelly cutting off food, fuel and basic necessities – and testing their first missile in space.

Things looked bleak for the West and they would have taken a turn for the worse, were it not for another event that occurred 75 years ago in Washington DC. There, in the Departmental Auditorium, the United States, the United Kingdom and 10 other nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty. President Truman told a momentous gathering that “Men with courage and vision can still determine their own destiny”. And Nato was born.

Most of us have never known a world without Nato. It was Nato’s watchful vigilance that brought the Cold War to an end and toppled the Berlin Wall. It was Nato that underpinned the peace and prosperity of the post-war world. When chaos came to the Balkans it was Nato that helped restore the peace. When the twin towers fell on 9/11, Nato stood by the United States. And when Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine two years ago, Nato again stepped up. Today, the alliance is not just stronger but bigger than ever having recently welcomed our 31st and 32nd members – Finland and Sweden.

Britain has always been a prime mover in Nato. Its first headquarters was hosted in London in 13 Belgrave Square. Its first Secretary General was renowned war general Lord Ismay. And I’m proud that today we are maintaining that commitment. We are participating in every Nato mission. Our nuclear deterrent contributes to the nuclear umbrella that protects all alliance members. And today we are providing the largest contingent in Exercise Steadfast Defender which is itself the biggest training operation since the Cold War.

Today we must give urgent thought once again to the alliance’s future. We have moved from a post-war to a pre-war world. Russia is menacing our neighbours. China is increasingly belligerent. Iran is using its proxies to cause regional havoc from the Middle East to the straits of Yemen. And North Korea is perpetually rattling its nuclear sabre.

So we must do three things. First, redouble our efforts to support Ukraine. Their astonishing achievements in the Black Sea, where Russia’s navy is now functionally inactive, demonstrates what Ukraine can accomplish with the right support. But this assistance cannot waver because Ukraine is defending the frontiers of freedom for us all. Should Putin succeed, his near neighbours could be next on the menu. That’s why we’ve provided over £7 billion in military support to Ukraine since 2022 and since 2014 have trained more than 60,000 Ukrainian personnel in everything from basic infantry skills to flight training.

Second, Alliance members must do more to pay their way. The UK has always met our Nato spending obligations. With our defence budget at 2.28 per cent of GDP and our commitment to increase it 2.5 per cent, we will continue to be a leader in the alliance. In the rest of Nato, things are also moving in the right direction. Nato’s Secretary General expects at least 18 allies to spend 2 per cent of their GDP on defence this year. Last year the number was 11. Poland is increasing its budget by 70 per cent since Russia’s illegal incursion into Crimea.

At the same time, it’s 10 years since Nato allies agreed to meet two per cent and we must look beyond that target to shore up our defences. Yet some nations are still failing to meet even the two per cent. That cannot continue. We can’t afford to play Russian roulette with our future.

Third, we must bolster our Euroatlantic defence sector. Russia is scaling its industry to match its military needs. We must do the same. That means investing in more ammunition and more stockpiles. Which is why, in recent months, I have not only signed a number of multinational defence procurement initiatives but helped boost Ukraine’s reserves with a £245 million investment in artillery ammunition and announced a deal to make Britain Ukraine’s largest drone supplier.

Seventy-five years ago George Orwell painted a terrifying picture of a world without Nato. Today we live in a more dangerous age. Once more autocratic Big Brothers are seeking to divide us. But we have a big advantage. Today our alliance is bigger, stronger and more experienced than ever. And as long as we stand together, we’ll guarantee that the Orwellian ending never comes to pass.