Hunt calls for massive boost in defence spending
Peace comes from strength, not luck, says former minister as Russia closes in on Kyiv
BRITAIN should increase defence spending to the same level as the US, Jeremy Hunt proposes today, as he declares: “Peace comes from strength, not luck.”
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Hunt, the Tory MP and former foreign secretary, calls the invasion of Ukraine “the biggest failure of Western foreign and security policy in our lifetimes”.
He argues that the policy of deterrence failed to stop Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, ordering troops to invade a neighbouring country.
Mr Hunt references Donald Trump’s past criticism of Nato spending, saying: “President Trump was very vocal on that point when I was foreign secretary, but he was only saying more robustly what numerous presidents had said before.
“If we want America to remain the leader of the free world, other democratic powers, especially in Europe, must commit to matching US defence spending as a proportion of GDP.”
Britain hitting that target would mean a huge increase in defence spending.
The UK spent 2.3 per cent of GDP on defence in 2021, according to Nato figures, compared with 3.5 per cent by the US. Given that the UK currently spends more than £40 billion a year on defence, achieving that goal would mean spending tens of billions of pounds more on the military over the coming years.
The call will pile pressure on Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, to approve an increase in the defence budget when he delivers his Spring Statement later this month.
The Telegraph understands that Mr Sunak is holding firm against calls for a rise, arguing that the biggest increase in UK defence spending since the Cold War was announced just two years ago.
But the Ministry of Defence continues to push behind the scenes for more money before a decision is made.
One senior Whitehall source rejected Treasury arguments that enough money had already been provided in the 2020 increases, arguing that “Putin had not invaded a European country” at that point.
The Westminster tussle comes as Russian troops close in on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, amid fears of renewed siege tactics.
Explosions in the Western cities of Lutsk and Ivano-frankivsk suggested the Russians could be expanding the area of battle, with most of the fighting having been in the centre and east of the country to date.
A statement released by the G7 group of nations, which includes the UK, made clear that the West intends to cut off luxury product exports to Russia, further tightening the financial clamp on the country.
Mr Hunt writes: “The invasion of Ukraine was the biggest failure of Western foreign and security policy in our lifetimes. It happened because we forgot the most fundamental lesson of the Cold War: the power of deterrence.
“Narrowly defined, deterrence is the mutually assured destruction that persuades nuclear powers to avoid triggering a war against each other. But there is a broader definition: the ability to deter powerful countries from marching into their neighbours.
“Since 1945, not one externally recognised country has been wiped off the map by aggression from a neighbour. By denying Ukrainian sovereignty, Putin is attempting to do just that.”
Mr Hunt argues that by “announcing they would not intervene” if Russia invaded Ukraine, the UK and US reduced their attempted deterrence. “Instead of peace through strength we caused war through weakness,” he writes. In the article there is also a call for Boris Johnson to abandon planned military cuts.
Mr Hunt asks: “What might a modern version of a deterrence strategy look like? It would start with a big increase in our military capability.
“Can it be right to reduce our troop levels by 10,000 from the numbers planned in 2015? Or cut our Challenger tanks by a third?”
The calls from an MP not traditionally seen as a hawk suggest that support for a major defence spending increase spreads wider on Tory benches than assumed. Calls for defence spending to increase are also being heard among Labour MPS.
Yet there were questions last night about whether it was realistic for the UK to reach the US defence spending target in the coming years.
Prof Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general of the Royal United Services Institute defence and security think tank, said: “An increase in taxes beyond what the Chancellor has already promised would be needed for a substantial rise in defence spending.”
Mr Hunt also calls for a new target of 4 per cent of GDP for defence spending combined with foreign aid spending and “soft power” over the next decade.
Currently aid spending is 0.5 per cent of GDP. A definition of “soft power” spending is not given but appears to refer to Foreign Office work.
A source close to Mr Hunt said that he accepted it would take time to make the change.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, is also pressing the Government to go further, calling for the 10,000 soldiers cut to be halted.
He said: “With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and threats of further aggression to Nato members, we need to reassess our military capabilities.”
There are also calls from within the Cabinet. Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, has repeatedly said this week that the West did not spend enough on defence in recent decades and indicated she backs more spending on the military.
Mr Sunak is also facing pressure over taxes on another front – his determination to go ahead with the National Insurance rise next month.
Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, made a renewed call for tax rises to be abandoned in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s The Week in Westminster.
However, Treasury and No10 sources last night stood by the National Insurance plan, saying the increase would go ahead as proposed.