Richard Spurr
1am to 4am
Non-stop News
1am to 3am
Enjoy your favourite LBC shows with ad-free Catch Up, weekly competition entries and an exclusive newsletter. Subscribe to LBC Catch Up Plus from £4.99 a month
By Chay Quinn
Former defence secretary and Nato secretary general Lord George Robertson has said John Healey is a “deeply patriotic individual” and he is “absolutely positive” the Chancellor will stick to his pledge to commit 3% of GDP to defence.
Lord Robertson was speaking after Mr Healey delivered his first Budget in which he reiterated the plan for Britain to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 – but offered scant detail on how the goal would be achieved.
Mr Healey resigned from Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet earlier this year after saying that the defence investment plan (Dip) was insufficient for not hitting the target.
The former Nato chief told LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr that "if anybody knows the threat [the UK faces] it is John Healey” adding, “he knows how unsafe the country is and how unprepared we are.”
Asked if he is worried about defence following the government’s Budget earlier today, Lord Robertson replied: "No, I’m not. I see the commitment to 3% by 2030, that’s in three years' time, months and days as Wes Streeting would put it.
"It is a cast-iron commitment, so he has got to find another £10 billion a year in order to get to that point, and that is why Mark Rutte, the current secretary general of NATO, has welcomed today’s statement.
"The crucial thing is that in addition to today’s pledge, he has now talked about bringing finance in; he has talked about a multilateral development programme, about a bank that would allow for joint procurement and more co-operation with other people, bringing the private finance initiative to defence."
The spectre of a potential conflict has loomed heavily over Mr Healey's Budget – with Nato targets set in order to make the bloc ready to fight a war against Russia.
On whether he believes John Healey will keep to the pledge of spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, Lord Robertson told Andrew: "He has made the commitment to actually saying this is going to happen. That’s the reason he resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s government and he has now made the pledge that was missing last time round.
"Those of us who care about defence, and the lack of safety for this country, as we go towards 2030 we will keep his feet to the fire. But I’m absolutely positive he is committed."
Former defence secretary and Nato secretary general Lord George Robertson has said John Healey is a “deeply patriotic individual” and he is “absolutely positive” the Chancellor will stick to his pledge to commit 3% of GDP to defence.
1h ago
Liverpool saw off Chelsea in another Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out as former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso suffered his third defeat as a manager at Anfield.
1h ago
It’s not the first time the former Top Gear host, who took over The Farmer’s Dog pub in 2024, has locked horns with his local authority
6h ago
Captain could be recalled to face Chelsea
8h ago
The clock was constructed in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee
8h ago
In the letter – written in 1962 – Jones describes the band’s then drummer as ‘atrocious’
9h ago
Alex Millington-Cotes claims he remains blocked from contact and insists his stepfather should have “access to anyone who he wishes to see”.
9h ago
The clock was constructed in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee
8h ago
The US Airforce officer was appointed as an assistant military attaché to the US embassy in London
12h ago
Sir Chris Bryant stepped in after a tense two-week stand-off following the Parades Commission’s decision to permit the parade to complete its traditional route along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road for the first time in almost 30 years.
13h ago
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of espionage, charges they both deny.
15h ago
One-year-old Samba, who absconded from Marwell Zoo near Winchester in Hampshire, attracted global interest after her escape
16h ago
A Halloween fun fair had been taking place in the area when the alert was first triggered.
16h ago
The man, who cannot be identified, is currently detained in a psychiatric hospital, according to his legal team
17h ago
Follow us:
About & Help
Get The LBC App
Legal & Info
Business & Careers
© Global 2026 | 30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
Copyright Global 2026. 30 Leicester Square, London. W C 2 H 7 L A.
About the Author
