Britain’s heavy military dependence on the United States is ‘no longer tenable’, according to former Nato secretary general George Robertson. Speaking at a Chatham House seminar, Lord Robertson said the traditional allies were diverging over values, and that the rift is likely to persist even after Donald Trump leaves the White House.
Robertson, a former Labour defence minister, cited Trump’s unprovoked attack on Iran, tariffs on allies, and the threat to seize Greenland from Denmark as evidence of growing divergence between Westminster and Washington. He said the diplomatic tone from the White House had reached a ‘historic low point’ with repeated public criticisms of the UK.
The former Nato chief argued that the UK must ‘rapidly pivot to becoming a more autonomous military actor’, working closely with European allies against Russia. He called for defence spending to rise to 3.5% of GDP by 2035, warning that Germany is on track to spend twice as much as Britain on defence by 2029.
Robertson’s comments come amid an £18bn funding gap in the UK’s 10-year defence investment plan. A cross-party Lords report, chaired by Robertson, described the special relationship as ‘under greater strain today than at any point since the second world war’.
