British Prime Minister Andy Burnham assured NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday of the United Kingdom’s commitment to the North Atlantic Alliance, despite recent changes in the government in London, Reuters and dpa report, according to Agerpres.

“There has been a change of prime minister, but there has never been any change in the United Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to NATO and to our obligations under NATO,” Andy Burnham said.

He highlighted the commitment of British troops who “serve in NATO missions around the world”.

“It is essential for us to demonstrate our firm commitment to NATO, and that is what we will do today,” Burnham added.

For his part, Mark Rutte stressed that “the United Kingdom is one of NATO’s leading powers”.

He wished Burnham “the best of luck” in his role as head of the British government; this was the first face-to-face meeting between the two to discuss defence matters.

The British prime minister is under political pressure for London to honour its commitment to allocate at least 3.5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to core defence by 2035.

NATO countries have agreed to allocate at least 5% of GDP to defence and security by 2035 at the latest, of which 3.5% of GDP will go towards core defence and the remaining 1.5% of GDP towards related expenditure and investment, such as combating cyber-attacks and other types of hybrid attacks, against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s call for European member countries to spend more on their own defence and amid growing threats from Russia and China.

In 2027, the United Kingdom is expected to allocate 2.7% of GDP to defence.

source – AGERPRES