Image source, Getty Images

"A dangerous new era" has propelled Prime Minister Keir Starmer to announce he's bringing forward a target to increase UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, a day after the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

That's what he just told a group of reporters at Downing Street, after outlining his plan to increase increase defence spending by 0.2 percentage points, funded by cutting aid spending from 0.5% of national income to 0.3%.

Here's what else the PM - who'll tomorrow fly to Washington DC to meet Donald Trump - said:

• "Putin's aggression doesn't stop in Ukraine," adding that Russian spy ships "menace" British waters while the NHS has also fallen victim to cyber attacks
• He said the announcement today was not reactionary and has been coming for some time - and that he agrees with Trump that Europe (including the UK) must do more to defend itself
• And, ahead of his handshake with the US president, Starmer emphasised that the UK shouldn't be forced to choose between Europe and the US

Earlier on, we asked our correspondents to analyse what the UK's defence spending rise might mean - take a look at all of their views across economics and politics.

The final question to Starmer is about the cuts to international aid spending, with the PM challenged on whether his decision could backfire and drive migration figures up.

He responds by saying the government will continue its support in areas like Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.

"There's no driver of migration and poverty like conflict," Starmer says - adding that he has taken today's decision to "deter tyrants like Putin".

That's it for the news conference - we'll compile a round-up for you now. Stay around for that.

Image source, Getty Images

Next, Harry Cole from The Sun asks about yesterday's UN General Assembly vote, which saw the US side with Russia on a resolution concerning Ukraine - there's more on that here.

Starmer responds that the UK's position is clear on Ukraine, and support for the embattled country is "unwavering".

The PM says he will meet Trump to ensure that the relationship between the US and UK can continue to go "from strength to strength".

He also suggests the meeting - taking place on Thursday - is "far more important" than commenting on individual resolutions.

Asked whether he thinks he can change Trump's mind about Ukraine, and how much his trip to Washington DC this week is a European effort to lobby the US, Starmer says he's in regular contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He also says he's spoken to French leader Emmanuel Macron upon his return from Washington today.

But the UK shouldn't have to choose between the US or Europe, he says, adding the UK has always been a key ally of both - which should continue.

The alliance with the US matters, he says, but equally we have to ensure we have the right alliances with our European partners.

He says there is strength in the special relationship with the US - it was forged over many years and has stood many challenges.

• For context: The publicised rift between Trump and Zelensky was deepened last week when the US president accused his Ukrainian counterpart of being a "dictator". It came after Zelensky said Trump was "living in a disinformation space", created by Russia.

GB News's Chris Hope next asks if Starmer is Reform UK MP Nigel Farage "in disguise" - considering Reform had a similar policy on defence in its election manifesto.

Starmer says Farage "didn't even turn up" to the debate in the Commons earlier today, when the PM made the announcement, and suggests he's too busy "fawning over Putin".

The PM adds that he takes his duty as prime minister seriously, and "we are fighting for the peace that we have enjoyed for the last 80 years".

Next up to ask a question is the BBC's political editor Chris Mason, who asks Starmer what he says to those who believe Trump is now setting UK government policy - and if there have been any assessments of the impact of cutting international aid?

Starmer says he has been arguing since he became prime minister that European countries, including the UK, need to do more for collective self defence.

It's true that Trump thinks we should do more, Starmer adds, "and I agree with him".

Starmer also says it's his first duty as prime minister to make sure the UK is safe and secure. He does not speak about assessments on aid cuts - which charities earlier criticised.

Image source, Getty Images

Onto questions from the press, Sky's Beth Rigby asks whether Keir Starmer's stance on defence spending has been forced by US President Donald Trump's administration.

You sound like a prime minister on a war footing, should viewers be alarmed? she asks.

Starmer acknowledges that this is a "significant moment", and that this generation has to "fight for peace".

As for the timing of his announcement, the PM says that "in our heart of hearts" we've known for the last three years that this decision has been coming - since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

But Starmer says the last few weeks have accelerated his planning, and that he's taking the decision today as a "matter of duty and responsibility".

The prime minister began his statement by repeating much of what he told the House of Commons earlier, outlining the changes to defence spending and saying it's the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.

"Putin's aggression does not stop in Ukraine," he says. "Russian spy ships menace our waters, Russian planes enter our airspace, Russian cyber attacks hit our NHS, and just seven years ago, there was a Russian chemical weapons attack in broad daylight on the streets of Salisbury.

"We can't hide from this."

He says spending 2.5% of GDP on defence is part of the Labour manifesto, but, in light of the "grave threats we face", meeting that target is being brought forward. He also talks of a "dangerous new era".

The government will make sure this investment maximises British jobs, innovation, growth, Starmer says, but this investment can only be delivered through painful choices.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is delivering a statement from No 10, which you can watch live at the top of the page.

A lot of what he says is likely to echo what we heard earlier today, when he announced changes to the UK's defence and international aid budgets - here's a breakdown of what he told MPs in the House of Commons.

We're listening in, though, and will bring you any new updates - including any interesting questions that may be asked by reporters and Starmer's responses.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest.

The British Army needs more money than 2.5% of GDP - but they will see this as a startpublished at 17:08 Greenwich Mean Time 25 February

17:08 GMT 25 February

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

What has the Ukraine war told us? You need long range artillery.

The British Army, right now, has 14 long range guns. That's it. They need more.

You also need air defences. Britain has a handful of air defence systems. They need more.

When you look at the UK's nuclear deterrent, it's going to be renewed, which is going to mean more spend on developing new warheads and building submarines.

They also want to build new fighter jets with Japan and Italy in the Global Combat Air Programme.

You look at all that, and this 2.5%, announced by Keir Starmer today, isn't going to get all they want.

So there will still be difficult decisions, but the Armed Forces have been asking for this money for a long time and the fact that its being accelerated - they're not going to sniff their noses at that.

Image source, Getty Images

We've said a few times today that Keir Starmer's defence announcement comes days before a high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington DC.

We've now heard the first reaction from the Trump administration to the news, with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth saying he's spoken to his British counterpart John Healey who has "confirmed" Starmer's plans and told Hegseth the UK would go "eventually much further".

"A strong step from an enduring partner," Hegseth writes, while sharing a post from Starmer's official X account which outlines the government's plan to up defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027.

Earlier, the BBC's political editor Chris Mason said Starmer would be hoping for a "warm reception" from DC following his announcement - but our senior North America correspondent Gary O'Donoghue warned Trump may see it as unambitious.

We're hearing that Keir Starmer will hold a news conference from 10 Downing Street within the hour.

It comes after he announced a rise in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, funded by a cut in overseas aid.

The plan amounts to "the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War", he told MPs in the House of Commons earlier.

When he speaks to reporters, we'll bring you any fresh updates right here. You'll also be able to tune in live at the top of the page. Stick with us.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick and former Tory PM Liz Truss agree Keir Starmer's defence announcement is a step in the right direction.

However, both also believe the move - boosting defence spending to 2.3% of GDP by cutting foreign aid to 0.3% of national income - doesn't go far enough.

"They haven't cut the Foreign Aid budget as much as they should," Truss - no longer an MP - writes on X.

Meanwhile, Jenrick says that while an "increase in defence spending right now is in the national interest" - a 0.2 percentage point increase is not enough: "The government is right to move in this direction today. But they haven’t moved far enough...We need radical change to meet the moment, not tinkering."

Jenrick finishes his post on X by acknowledging Starmer's visit to the White House this Thursday, saying he'll be "rooting for him".

Here's a reminder of the amounts some Nato countries - including the UK - spend on defence as a percentage of their GDP.

How did Starmer get to a figure of £13.4bn extra a year?published at 15:46 Greenwich Mean Time 25 February

15:46 GMT 25 February

By Ben Chu, policy and analysis correspondent

Keir Starmer's claim that taking UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 will result in a £13.4bn annual increase in spending is somewhat puzzling.

The UK’s estimated Nato-qualifying defence spending was £64.6bn in 2024, external, equivalent to 2.3% of GDP.

That means adding an increase of 0.2% of GDP to defence spending would be roughly £6bn in today’s money, not £13.4bn.

The prime minister also suggested a cut in the foreign aid budget from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3% would fund the increase in defence spending.

But £13.4bn would also be roughly equal to the entire overseas aid budget for 2024/25 of £13.3bn, external.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think-tank said: "An extra 0.2% of GDP is around £6 billion, and this is the size of the cut to the aid budget. Yet he trumpeted a £13bn increase in defence spending. It's hard to be certain without more detail from the Treasury, but this figure only seems to make sense if one thinks the defence budget would otherwise have been frozen in cash terms."

BBC Verify has asked the government for the basis of the £13.4bn figure.

Keir Starmer's unexpected announcement today comes ahead of his high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday.

Here's the top line: A rise in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, funded by a cut in overseas aid.

Our correspondents have been looking into the implications of this move, both at home and abroad, and how it might go down in Washington DC. Here's what they've unpacked so far:

• Today's announcement will be a blow to recipients of overseas aid - but a reprieve for other government departments, according to Dharshini David
• An increase in defence spending will certainly help Britain’s Armed Forces, but won't fund all the new programmes needed, says Jonathan Beale
• On the international aid budget cut, Faisal Islam says it comes as "quite the shock", but is a decision that "reflects a new global reality"
• Looking ahead to Trump talks, Starmer will carry the defence spending increase with him to Washington, says James Landale, and that paired with the aid spending cut will likely be given a warm reception, says Chris Mason
• But a word of warning: The PM will be "wise not to overplay his hand in the Oval Office", according to Gary O'Donoghue

A smart move by Starmer, but he'll be wise not to overplay this to Trumppublished at 15:21 Greenwich Mean Time 25 February

15:21 GMT 25 February

Gary O'Donoghue
Senior North America correspondent

Keir Starmer’s decision to raise UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 is a smart move ahead of his visit to the White House on Thursday.

It works on two levels:

• First, it’s a direct answer to US President Donald Trump’s constant mantra about Nato governments not spending enough on defence
• Second, in funding the increase from Britain’s aid budget, the prime minister is playing directly into one of the president’s most controversial and treasured policy moves - the near total demolition of America’s foreign aid effort

He will no doubt point out to the president that a third of Britain’s aid budget goes on asylum seekers within the UK, so cutting back on that will also chime with this president.

However, Starmer will be wise not to overplay his hand in the Oval Office later this week. A 0.2 percentage point increase, which amounts to around $17bn (£13.4bn) - a tiny amount in US terms - might be seen by Trump as somewhat unambitious.

As we continue to get reaction to Labour's decision to boost defence spending by cutting its foreign aid budget, listen back to the moment Keir Starmer earlier outlined the decision in the House of Commons.

He described it as a "hard choice" - but insisted the UK would continue to play a humanitarian role in countries such as Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza, as well as tackle climate change and support efforts in global health.

Starmer's cut to aid spending will have devastating consequencespublished at 15:12 Greenwich Mean Time 25 February

15:12 GMT 25 February

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

This decision will be devastating to the UK’s development work around the globe.

UK charities had been expecting a bit more cash as the government slowly stopped spending aid on asylum seekers in the UK.

But that money will now go straight to defence, meaning some of the most marginalised people in the world may die without the aid they might otherwise have received.

And it comes on top of US President Donald Trump’s decision to cut USAID, America’s development arm.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this cut was a hard choice and not one he wanted to make, but it is not without consequence.

Around the world, countries will be poorer, more disease-ravaged and unstable, encouraging more migration and terrorism.

Image source, Reuters

Labour MP Sarah Champion, who chairs Westminster's International Development Committee, believes so.

"Cutting the aid budget to fund defence spending is a false economy that will only make the world less safe," she says following Keir Starmer's announcement.

She notes that, in 2023, Ukraine received £250m in aid from the UK - more than any other country: "We simply cannot afford to undermine this investment [in Ukraine] by putting more into a war chest."

The year before that, Ukraine ranked as the second-biggest recipient of UK aid - getting £342m - behind Afghanistan (£353m). Some £119m of the money given to Ukraine was dedicated to humanitarian aid.

Before Russia's full-scale invasion, in 2021, Ukraine ranked 32nd among the countries receiving aid from the UK.

Image source, Reuters

While Keir Starmer hopes there'll be political and public support for his plan to increase defence spending, charities are criticising how the prime minister will fund it - by cutting the UK's international aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of national income.

Here's what we've heard from a number of organisations already:

• Hannah Bond, the CEO of ActionAid UK, says "there is no justification for abandoning the world's most marginalised" and - referencing similar cuts that have been made to USAID across the Atlantic - that such reductions "only deepen harm to civilians caught in conflict"
• Plan International UK says the news "comes at the worst possible time" and questions a pledge made in Labour's party manifesto: "In their election manifesto, the government committed to returning the UK aid budget to 0.7% of GNI [gross national income], yet this is clearly now a broken promise"
• And Save the Children UK is also critical of the decision, which it says "will add to economic instability", warning that it will have "direct consequences for children and families in the UK as well as around the world"

During his statement earlier, the prime minister conceded that he's not happy to be making the spending cuts to aid, but stressed that he's proud of the UK's record on international development.