Liz Truss will today order a new defence review to counter the growing threat posed by Russia and China – as she urges Western leaders to stand firm against the rise of authoritarianism.
The Prime Minister will use a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York to warn that the West faces a ‘decisive moment’ in the defence of global freedom.
She will confirm that officials have been asked to reopen the Integrated Review of Britain’s security only 18 months after it was published in order to take account of the heightened threat from China and Russia.
And she will confirm her leadership campaign pledge to increase annual defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030 – a move which analysts believe could cost more than £150billion by the end of the decade.
As a member of Nato, the UK is committed to spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence each year, and in the current year it is expected to spend 2.1 per cent.
Yesterday, Miss Truss also called for Russia to pay ‘recompense’ to Ukraine for its illegal war – including financial reparations.
In tonight’s speech, the PM will urge world leaders not to falter in their support for Ukrainian forces, which have seized back more than 2,000 square miles of occupied territory in recent weeks.
‘This is a decisive moment in British history, in the history of this organisation, and in the history of freedom,’ she will say. The story of 2022 could have been that of an authoritarian state rolling its tanks over the border of a peaceful neighbour and subjugating its people.
‘Instead, it is the story of freedom fighting back. But this must not be a one off... Britain’s commitment to this is total.
‘Together with our friends and allies around the world, we will continue to champion freedom... and democracy. And we will define this new era as one of hope and progress.’
Talks with world leaders in New York are expected to focus not just on Ukraine, but also on stepping up energy security to prevent historic weaknesses from being exploited by Russian president Vladimir Putin and other tyrants.
A Government source said the Prime Minister would press the G7 and other western alliances to form an ‘economic Nato, collectively defending our prosperity and coming to the aid of any partner targeted by an aggressive regime’.