Sec-Gen Visits UK On 9 Nov; Focus On 3% GDP Defence Spending Commitment

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will visit the UK on 9 November for his first talks with new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as Foreign Secretary James Cleverley and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

• With the UK autumn statement approaching fast on 17 November, and expectations that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is looking to implement significant public sector spending cuts, there is focus on whether the MoD budget takes a hit.
• Papers reported that Wallace's main condition of remaining as defence secretary in a Sunak gov't was the retention of the commitment to raising defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030. The fact he remains in place would indicate that this objective is retained.
• Aside from the United States, the UK is the largest single supplier of military hardware and assistance to Ukraine in its efforts to repel Russia's invasion.