Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Healey and Gagan Mohindra

Monday 8th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

3. What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on meeting the NATO target of spending 5% of GDP on defence.

[The Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey)]

At the Hague summit in June, all 32 NATO nations agreed to step up and increase spending on national security to 5% by 2035. I am proud that this Labour Government played a leading part in the discussions that led to that historic agreement.

[Mr Mohindra]

Tomorrow we will vote on a Bill that shamefully gives up the sovereignty of our military base in Diego Garcia. Given the commitment to spend more on defence, will the Secretary of State confirm if the money spent on Chagos will be included in our declared NATO spend?

[John Healey]

The investment in Diego Garcia is a great investment in the defence and intelligence partnership with the United States. Together, we do things from Diego Garcia that cannot be done elsewhere; we do things together that we do not do with other nations. The deal is worth less than 0.2% of the annual defence budget. How is it that the Conservatives have got themselves on the wrong side of this argument about national security, when we stand alongside the US as our closest allies?