Tag: Military budget

Good morning, It’s the Fourth of July, so there will be plenty of fireworks today – both literal and metaphorical. Of the latter variety, U.S. President Donald Trump continues to butt heads with his allies, this time on the subject of military spending. In letters sent to many countries, including Canada, Germany and Norway, the Trump administration criticizes the fellow NATO members for not living up to their goals of spending 2 per cent of their GDP on defence. Canada, which has no plan to meet the 2-per-cent target, is focusing on the other ways it is supporting the military alliance. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit the mission in Latvia next week on his way to a meeting of NATO leaders in Belgium. Canada’s tariffs on U.S. goods – triggered in retaliation of other moves made by the U.S. – are affecting the American mattress industry. If you’re reading this on the web or someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, you can sign up for Politics Briefing and all Globe newsletters here. Police and politicians in the Toronto and Vancouver areas are struggling to contain gang violence, as the number of people killed in shootings grows in both regions. The city plans to step up programs aimed at steering young people away from a life in gangs. He will also deal with a Canadian federal government that may be in precampaign mode when bilateral discussions ensue.” Help The Globe monitor political ads on Facebook: During an election campaign, you can expect to see a lot of political ads.

But a source familiar with the negotiations said there is no chance of the Treasury, faced with a promised rise in NHS spending and other demands on the budget, conceding any more cash to the Ministry of Defence. The Financial Times reported on Thursday that May, at a Downing Street meeting, had asked Williamson to justify the UK being a “tier-one” country. Despite denials from Downing Street, a source familiar with the meeting said on Thursday that May had questioned whether the UK needed all these capabilities. “We will continue to spend 2% of our GDP on defence. We will continue to contribute in a whole variety of ways across conventional, cyber and nuclear capabilities.” May hinted she was content with the status quo on defence spending. The MoD is still hoping to secure some more money in the next few weeks, and, failing that, in the autumn. However, the source said the best the MoD could hope for was a token rise in spending in autumn or early next year, though nothing close to the billions Williamson was seeking. While the Treasury is reported to be sympathetic to a rise for the military, it is concerned about the impact of pay rises across the public sector and looking for a compromise from Williamson. Stoltenberg, speaking in London, said he wanted the UK to maintain at least its current spending level on defence, 2.1% of GDP, just above the 2% Nato minimum. Faced with a £20bn funding shortfall over the next decade, the MoD claims it can make savings through efficiency.