Crisis-hit UK PM Keir Starmer is fast-tracking gigantic spikes in war spending. He says it is to defend the country. In reality, Starmer is yet again sucking up to US president Donald Trump. The UK government needs to get its head out of 1997 for all our sakes.

Starmer wants £14bn a year spent on war and the military. That is to say, £14bn more going into the pockets of arms firms and their fellow travelers.

The Guardian reported:

At the Munich Security Conference at the weekend, Starmer argued for higher and more sustained defence spending to meet the threat from Russia. “We must build our hard power because that is the currency of our age,” he said. “We must spend more, deliver more and coordinate more.”

Currently the UK spends 2.3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence. The increase would take that figure up to 2.6%.

But it could go higher still:

The BBC said No 10 was considering an increase to 3% of GDP by the end of this parliament in 2029 to meet Starmer’s ambition, although it is unclear if this will turn into a concrete plan given the many obstacles.

Politico explained the rate of acceleration:

The British prime minister last year pledged to spend 2.6 percent of GDP on defense by 2027, and 3 percent by the end of the next parliament in 2034.

Ministers are now considering accelerating those plans to hit 3 percent by 2029, as first reported by the BBC and backed up by two government officials.

Starmer is Trump’s minion

Stop the War Coalition said the move was simply about appeasing Trump’s demands for higher spending among European allies:

This is part of a massive European arms drive aimed at appeasing Trump as he demands Europe pay more for its own defence.

The additional cost comes at a time when we are told to accept cuts to pensions, to wages and to public services, while much of what is spent will go directly into the coffers of US arms manufacturers.

The coalition warned the militarist foundations were being laid for a major war in Europe:

It is clear Europe is creating a climate in which war with Russia is more likely, a war where nuclear weapons could be used with catastrophic consequences.

We need new ideas

US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s said as much in his Munich Security Conference speech. As part of his weird colonialist rant, Rubio warned the European ‘civilisation’ was under threat.

He also said:

And this is why we do not want our allies to be weak, because that makes us weaker.  We want allies who can defend themselves so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength.

Adding:

We want allies who are proud of their culture and of their heritage, who understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilization, and who, together with us, are willing and able to defend it.

Starmer wants to stay close to the US – despite Trump’s erratic behaviour. The UK PM is from a school of British political thought which ran out of steam decades ago. That Blairite ideology was defined by a puppy-like obedience to US power. It didn’t serve the UK then and it sure as hell doesn’t serve us now.

This country needs fresh ideas. A good one would be to stop being snivelling vassal of the United States.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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