Starmer: Europe Can No Longer Rely on US to Fund Its Defense

Sir Keir Starmer told a British Irish Chamber of Commerce dinner in Dublin that the United States will no longer "bankroll" European defense, and that the shift is permanent rather than tied to a single administration, according to BBC News.

What did Starmer say in Dublin?

Speaking Friday evening at Dublin City Hall, where he received an honorary life membership from the chamber, Starmer said Europe needs "a common security framework as much as a common market," with the UK at its center, the BBC reported. "Europe has twice been caught asleep," he said, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and, separately, President Trump making clear "once and for all" that Washington would no longer underwrite European security.

Why does Starmer call this permanent, not a Trump-era shift?

Starmer was direct on this point: "This is about responding to a permanent change of affairs, not an aberration of the Trump presidency. Things will not go back to the way they were before," he told the crowd, per the BBC. He framed the change as structural — something Europe must plan around regardless of who occupies the White House next.

Does this mean the US-UK alliance is weakening?

Starmer pushed back on that reading. He said his remarks did not mean "the US relationship is no longer important," arguing the UK-US military, security and intelligence alliance was "far too strong for that," according to the Press Association account carried by the BBC. His argument is narrower: Europe must "take on far more responsibility for its own defence and security," not that Washington is walking away from the partnership entirely.

What's the backdrop with Trump?

Starmer and Trump built what Starmer's team at the time called one of the biggest successes of his premiership, the BBC noted. That cooled after Trump mocked Starmer as "no Winston Churchill" during a dispute over UK bases and the initial US-Israel strikes on Iran. Asked whether Trump wished him well on leaving Downing Street, Starmer said, "Yes he did, and we're going to stay in touch."

Where does defense spending stand now?

By the numbers:

• 5% — the new NATO defense spending target Trump has called a "big win," referenced in the BBC's related coverage.
• Aug. 6, 2026 — date a UK spending watchdog said Starmer made a misleading defense spending claim, per the BBC.

Starmer said spending increases are "part of the picture" but that the challenge "goes far beyond that," calling for pan-European coordination that he said the EU is already adjusting to meet. He added the bloc "cannot be the EU alone when Europe's periphery is core to its defence."

What to watch

• Whether European Union members move toward the "common security framework" Starmer described, beyond existing NATO spending pledges.
• Any response from the Trump administration to Starmer's characterization of US policy as a permanent shift.
• Follow-up scrutiny of UK defense spending figures after the watchdog's August finding.
• Whether Starmer's continued contact with Trump, post-premiership, shapes UK input into European defense planning.