Lord Robertson criticizes Starmer: He is endangering national security with insufficient defense funding

A former NATO secretary general and key figure in Keir Starmer’s Labour Party criticized the British prime minister on Tuesday for failing to adequately fund defense, leaving the country’s national security at risk.

George Robertson, who served as the UK’s defence minister in the 1990s before heading NATO, told the Financial Times that there is a gap between Starmer’s rhetoric and actions on defence, and that he is “not prepared to make the necessary investments”.

Asked about Robertson’s comments, Starmer’s spokesman told reporters that Downing Street “completely rejects” these assessments.

“It is vital that the right decisions are made. The Prime Minister is determined to ensure that the defence investment plan is in line with the threats we face,” the spokesman said.

Robertson, who helped draft a Strategic Defence Review commissioned by Starmer when Labour returned to power in 2024, is expected to say in a speech later in the day that Britain has become vulnerable to external threats, according to excerpts published by the Financial Times and the BBC.

In his speech, to be held in Salisbury, Robertson was expected to criticise finance minister Rachel Reeves for devoting “just 40 words” to defence in her budget speech last autumn and failing to mention it at all in an update last month, according to the FT.

“Britain’s national security and defence are at risk,” he was expected to say, according to the excerpt. “We are unprepared. We are unprotected. We are under attack. We are not safe.”

George Robertson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Keir Starmer has blamed the lack of investment in the military for the 14 years of the rival Conservative Party’s rule and has promised the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, with the aim of reaching 3% of national output in the next parliament.

The government has yet to publish a 10-year plan for defence investment, which was initially expected before the end of last year and which aims to meet the targets set out in the 2024 review co-authored by Robertson.

This review called for a shift towards the use of drones, digital warfare and data-driven combat systems, reflecting lessons learned from the war in Ukraine.