Foreign Sec Boris Johnson to side with Donald Trump on Nato spending after the US President-elect says that European states must fork out more on defence
In a bid to build strong links with new White House the Foreign Secretary will say that current cash levels 'cannot be justified'
BORIS Johnson will today side with Donald Trump to say “he has a point” in a bitter row over NATO spending.
The US President-elect sparked fear across the West when he threatened to walk away from the alliance unless European states fork out more on defence.
In a bid to build strong links with the new White House, the Foreign Secretary will say current cash levels “cannot be justified”.
Boris will add in his first major speech in the top Cabinet job: “President Elect Trump has a point.
“One NATO ally – America – accounts for about 70 per cent of the alliance’s defence spending while the other 27 countries manage only 30 per cent between them.”
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As he insist that Britain is one of just four states to meet the transatlantic alliance’s cash pledge, Mr Johnson will add: “I want every NATO member to meet the agreed target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence and 20 per cent of their defence budget on new equipment”.
The demand will come as Boris lays out his post-Brexit vision for Britain in the world in a bid to overcome critics’ attacks that he is not a serious statesman.
Leaving the EU will not mean the UK “turns in on herself”, and it will not be “a nation hauling up the drawbridge”, he will add.
Instead, Britain must be a global leader in the high stakes struggle against dark forces.
Boris will add: “We have to acknowledge that in many respects the world is not in good shape.
“We have the cult of the strong man, we have democracy in retreat, we have an arc of instability across the Middle East from Iraq to Syria to Libya.
“What is the answer of the UK, is it to cower and put the pillow over our heads? Emphatically not.”
During the election campaign, Boris responded to Trump's threats to Nato saying Article 5 - which states an attack on one member should be treated as an attack on them all - was “something that the British government believes in absolutely, fervently and that we stand behind full square.”
He told ambassadors he privately back free movement in Europe and called for an amnesty for tens of thousands of illegal immigrants in the UK during a No10 meeting.
Lord Kerr said Europeans were shocked by Tory conference speeches.
He said Theresa May’s rejection of the European Court of Justice was “damaging”. And he hit out at Press “xenophobia”.
The PM’s spokeswoman insisted: “We will continue to be an open and outward-looking country.”