DIDCOT — Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte urged the UK government to demonstrate a credible, gradual path to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 during meetings with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and cabinet ministers in Didcot and Oxfordshire.

Rutte met with prime minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday at a business park in Didcot. He also met representatives from the defence industry during his visit.

On Thursday, Rutte met with Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, and Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary. He spoke with the Press Association following these meetings and gave a speech at Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire.

Rutte stated that Britain must show a "credible path" of annual increases in its defence budgets to meet a Nato target. He said Britain could not wait until just before 2035 to lift defence spending to 3.5% of GDP.

In an interview, Rutte told the broadcaster that the UK understood the target could not be met "in one go in 2034" and would have to be achieved gradually. ""I am absolutely confident that when it comes to the yearly increments, they totally take it and accept it, that they have to be there," Rutte said."

He added that the specifics of the plan remain to be determined. "There has to be a credible path. What that credible path exactly will be, we will see with the spending review next year,"" Rutte told reporters."

Rutte said he was certain the Burnham government remained behind the ultimate goal and the need to increase defence spending gradually. Meeting the 3.5% GDP target requires spending nearly £30bn more on the military by the middle of the next decade.

Current spending plans show defence spending levelling off at 2.7% of GDP until 2028/9. Current defence spending plans are nearly £30bn below the ultimate 3.5% GDP target.

During his speech, Rutte warned that the 32 country military alliance faced ""the most dangerous and complex security environment in a generation.". He cited wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and rising state competition as factors in the security environment."

Rutte stated that Nato needed more UK and more Europe" to take up the slack as the US reduces its military commitment to the alliance. Donald Trump has argued that the UK and Europe should take the lead in defending the continent from Russia aggression. Trump has also argued that the UK and Europe should match US levels of defence spending."

The pressure to increase spending follows political disagreements within the UK government. John Healey resigned as defence minister in June. Healey resigned because Keir Starmer would not commit to lifting defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030.

Healey said Labour needed to set "a clear path" to meet the Nato commitment. Both Andy Burnham and Healey have avoided committing to 3% defence spending by the end of the decade. However, both Burnham and Healey have endorsed the 3.5% GDP defence spending target.

Keir Starmer signed the UK up to a Nato-wide target of increasing defence spending to 3.5% of GDP in the summer of 2025. Starmer committed to the 3.5% GDP target under pressure from US president Donald Trump.

General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the First Sea Lord, stated that Russia is 'probing Britain for weakness' and may seek to use the UK’s own war tactics against it by targeting vital underwater cables on day one of any future conflict.

Why It Matters

The push for increased defence spending occurs as the UK navigates a shift in transatlantic security dynamics. With the US reducing its military commitment to the alliance, European members face pressure to fill the gap. The UK’s current trajectory leaves a funding shortfall relative to the 2035 target, requiring substantial budgetary adjustments in upcoming spending reviews.

The resignation of former defence Secretary Healey shows the internal political challenges of meeting these commitments. Healey’s departure stemmed from a disagreement over the timeline for reaching intermediate targets, reflecting the tension between immediate fiscal constraints and long-term strategic goals. The government must now define a credible path that satisfies both domestic fiscal rules and international alliance obligations.

What's New

Healey’s resignation as defence Secretary in June 2026 came after a disagreement with Keir Starmer over the timeline for reaching 3% of GDP in defence spending by 2030, showing his stance on the need for an immediate and clear path to meet NATO commitments. In 2025, the UK government announced a £100m contribution to the NATO PURL (Partnership for Peace) program, a commitment that was showed during Rutte’s meeting with Andy Burnham at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.

Rutte, the current NATO Secretary General, previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 2010 to 2023, during which he oversaw significant military reforms and increased defence spending in his country. Healey, prior to his role as Chancellor, served as the Shadow Secretary of State for defence from 2020 to 2024, where he consistently advocated for increased defence spending and criticized the previous government for underfunding the military.

In 2023, Rutte’s government in the Netherlands committed to increasing defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2024, reflecting his prior emphasis on gradual and sustainable increases in military funding. Healey, who resigned as defence Secretary in June 2026, had previously served as a Member of Parliament for Leeds West from 2015 to 2024 and was known for his advocacy on defence and foreign policy issues.

Andy Burnham, as Mayor of Greater Manchester, supported the development of a regional defence innovation hub that focused on emerging technologies such as cyber warfare and space-based systems, aligning with NATO's strategic priorities. Andy Burnham, the current Prime Minister of the UK, has a long history in public service, having first been elected as a Member of Parliament for Bolton West in 2001 and later serving as Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to 2024.