Britain’s attitude toward Nato across the political parties
See GlobalData’s recently published report on Nato for more information.
Britain’s party leaders have lately been outspoken in sharing their perspectives on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato). While Prime Minister Keir Starmer has increased Britain’s defence spending, been a strong advocate for Ukraine, and put
forward a Strategic Defence Review (SDR) advocating a “NATO First” policy, not all political leaders have offered the same degree of support. Though a general election likely remains a few years away, it is critical to consider how Westminster’s attitude toward the Alliance may shift in the future.
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Starmer is reportedly considering putting more strength behind his vision for the UK as a nation that puts “NATO First”. While Starmer had initially set an ‘ambition’ to increase defence spending to 3.0% of GDP in the next parliament, the government is considering avenues to achieve this goal by the end of the current parliament, most
likely meaning by 2029. Raising spending to 3.0% would cost the UK about $23.4bn per year, on top of the $77.3bn that GlobalData forecasts will be spent in 2026.
In February 2025, Conservative Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch told reporters that the previous government wanted to get defence spending to 3.0% of national income by 2030, but financial restraints prevented the party from making
this announcement. However, by the end of the year, the Tories were calling on the government to commit to 3.0% by 2030. The Conservative Party says it would seek to reallocate funding for green energy projects to support defence investments.
The Liberal Democrats are in agreement that defence spending needs to reach 3.0% of GDP by 2030 and have called for defence bonds to fund a £20bn ($27.1bn) boost.
Leader of the UK’s Green Party, Zack Polanski, has a very different vision for Britain’s defence strategy. In an interview, Polanski withdrew initial comments that the country must work to reform Nato from within and instead advocated for complete
withdrawal from the Alliance. Instead of participating in the world’s most successful Alliance, Polanski suggested that Britain should join forces with non-aligned middle powers, citing Brazil and Mexico; it was unclear what security benefits the UK might gain by entering into a formal security Alliance with these nations.
Finally, but first in the polls, is Nigel Farage’s Reform Party. Though the party is not new, it is still finding its footing on issues of foreign policy. That said, a spokesperson for Reform UK stated that “Nigel Farage has been very clear that Reform fully supports the Ukrainian people and the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine”. The leading candidate argued that, if they enter into Nato airspace, the UK should shoot down Russian jets, though he does not back Starmer’s plan to send troops to Ukraine if a peace deal is agreed upon. Reform UK says it is committed to spending 3.0% on defence by the end of the decade, but it is less clear how the party would fund this increase.