US pressures Britain to ramp up defense spending - The Telegraph
Photo: Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth (Getty Images)
The US has threatened to oppose British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands unless Andy Burnham increases defence spending, according to The Telegraph.
According to the newspaper, the proposal is among the measures being drawn up by Pentagon officials as an incentive to meet the NATO pledge to raise defence expenditure to 5%.
A senior US official said that Britain is likely to receive special attention during Washington's review of its allies' NATO commitments, which will scrutinise whether member states have credible plans to achieve the target.
US officials believe that while Britain has the potential to become a leading defence partner, the defence investment plan announced in June by then‑Prime Minister Keir Starmer fell short—representing only a modest step in the right direction.
"I would expect the UK to receive special attention because it has so much potential. We will therefore continue efforts to incentivise and enable the UK to step up in a major way," the official said.
The Telegraph notes that such rhetoric from Washington will cause concern for current Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Hilli, whose first budget does not allocate 3% of GDP to defence by 2030.
At the 2025 NATO summit, Alliance members agreed to raise defence spending to at least 5% of GDP by 2035. In April 2026, it emerged that Estonia has already reached that threshold.
The move comes as the country braces for possible provocations or military action from Russia, with the aim of ensuring that Moscow's strategic objectives remain out of reach.
