Sir Keir Starmer has returned to the UK after meeting Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara, where the US president agreed to maintain contact despite recent tensions. The Prime Minister said Trump thanked the UK for its defence contributions and that maintaining the strategic relationship remained his responsibility.
Speaking to reporters, Starmer emphasised the importance of the UK-US relationship, stating that he and Trump had “got along really well” over the longer term. He added that Trump had expressed a desire to stay in touch, which Starmer described as vital for the bilateral partnership.
Trump had earlier labelled the UK a “deindustrialised welfare zone”, blaming Starmer’s “weak leadership”. However, Starmer declined to respond, saying he would not be “tempted at the last hurdle” into commenting on personal attacks. He highlighted the UK’s improved economy, public services, and defence since he took office.
On defence spending, Starmer noted that Trump shared a chart showing the UK in second place for real-term contributions over the past decade, despite being 12th when measured as a proportion of GDP. The PM warned against borrowing to fund future defence increases, citing the cost of servicing existing debt.
Senior defence officials suggested that incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham might explore options within fiscal rules to boost military spending, including revisiting the idea of war bonds previously rejected by the Treasury. Starmer himself declined to rule out a future role as NATO secretary general.
During the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave each leader a revolver engraved with their name and a box of live rounds. Starmer had to leave his gift in Ankara, as importing it to the UK would be illegal even with a waiver; it remains with the British embassy for decommissioning.
