LIVERPOOL, England — Britain and Europe need to get out of their “defensive crouch,” Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said Monday, as he argued that U.S. pressure on European allies will ultimately result in a stronger Europe. Speaking at the POLITICO Pub at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, Streeting added that he believes that America’s frustration over “European over-reliance” on the U.S. has “not been unique to the Trump administration.” The defense secretary said that, contrary to “the perception that the U.S. is somehow disengaging from Europe,” he has “experienced the exact opposite” — despite the ongoing U.S. review into pulling various troops and capabilities from across the continent. British-American relations soured towards the end of Keir Starmer’s tenure as prime minister, after Britain refused to give the U.S. military support for its war with Iran, including the full use of British military bases for strikes on Iran.
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Labour government is now seeking to repair the alliance. Part of the challenge from Donald Trump’s administration to Britain is to raise defense spending to record post-World War II levels. Britain doesn’t currently have a costed plan to reach its NATO commitment to spend 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2030.
Ahead of next month’s budget, he said that Chancellor John Healey doesn’t need persuading about the importance of raising defense spending as he previously resigned on this issue as a point of principle, Streeting said. Having the Americans at RAF Fairford makes us more safe, not less safe.” Elsewhere in the interview, Streeting rejected reports that the U.K. is involved in negotiations with Germany over Berlin potentially helping fund Britain’s nuclear weapons program.
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