Britain may need to hike defence spending to four per cent of its economic output, warns ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock

BRITAIN may need to hike defence spending to four per cent of its economic output, Neil Kinnock has warned.

The former Labour leader said Sir Keir Starmer’s target of 2.5 per cent is not enough to deter Russia.

He told the Prime Minister: “Three to four per cent is a realistic objective . . .  because our security is in peril.”

Defence spending is currently at 2.3 per cent of domestic output, but that drops to just 1.6 per cent when spending on the nuclear deterrent is excluded.

The Government is under pressure to increase this dramatically to counter threats from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

Incoming US President Donald Trump has threatened to pull out of NATO unless European countries start to pay their way.

He has signalled hikes of up to five per cent of GDP may be required to meet spending shortfalls in the alliance.

Other NATO allies have reportedly also sounded the alarm on Britain’s lack of commitment to air defences.

But so far ministers have refused to put a timeframe on when spending will increase, citing economic pressures and a defence review due to report later this year.

Lord Kinnock told Times Radio that three or four per cent is “where we’ve got to go because our security is imperilled”.

He added: “Given the size of the Russian offensive, I don’t think 2.5 per cent of GDP will be enough — not least because the kind of things we’ve got to spend on are not just conventional forces but very hi-tech challenges.”