Starmer faces likely row at Nato summit after US rebuke on defence spending

US ambassador to Nato has called for all allies who are ‘lagging behind’ to step up immediately Keir Starmer is likely to face a diplomatic row at his final major international summit this week after Washington’s ambassador to Nato called for alliance members who are “lagging behind” on defence spending to step up. The prime minister is due to arrive in Ankara on Tuesday for the annual Nato summit, where the UK commitment will be under scrutiny following the release of the government’s defence investment plan (Dip) last week. While this produced an extra £15bn for defence, the increase as a proportion of GDP will rise slowly, going from 2.6%in 2027 to 2.7% by 2030, with the intended “trajectory” to hit 3% in the next parliament. Under a plan agreed at last year’s Nato summit in The Hague, members agreed to reach at least 3.5% of GDP by 2035, as part of a total of 5% on defence and “defence-and security-related spending”. On Sunday night, Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to Nato, said certain Nato members were not moving fast enough: “Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way. “But many others are lagging behind, and Pres