How much should Britain really be spending on defence? [Video]

Pressure, domestic and external, is growing on the government to increase defence spending markedly. Yesterday, the secretary general of Nato, Mark Rutte, called for member states to push their target beyond the 2 per cent of GDP set back in 2006, in the light of far greater international challenges. Donald Trump, possibly as a bargaining tactic, has called for a commitment to spend 5 per cent on defence (more than anyone spends now – and it’s actually currently below 4 per cent in the US).

There is obviously no shortage of real and potential trouble facing the Atlantic Alliance – Russian aggressions in Ukraine and Georgia; instability across the Middle East; and an increasingly assertive China. The most immediate threat is from Russian “grey zone” action by merchant vessels acting on behalf of Kremlin interests – notably tearing up vital communication cables in the Baltic. Can we find the money to defend ourselves?

What’s the government’s policy?

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