Donald Trump has said the United States' position on the Falkland Islands is "under review", intensifying pressure on Britain to raise its defence spending. His comments came after tensions emerged last week when Chancellor John Healey declined to set a firm 2030 deadline for reaching 3 per cent of GDP on defence in his Budget, instead pushing the decision to next year's spending review, prompting accusations that Labour was prioritising "welfare over warfare".

White House officials confirmed they would "continue efforts to incentivise and enable the UK to step up in a major way", with one saying nothing was "being ruled out" regarding options to encourage burden-sharing. Nato members agreed in 2025 to reach 5 per cent of GDP on defence spending by 2035 amid concerns over Russia, while Healey, who resigned as Defence Secretary in June after a previous plan fell short of the 3 per cent target, has faced criticism as a "hypocrite". The row was further inflamed by Yair Netanyahu, son of the Israeli prime minister, who publicly backed Argentina's claim to the islands and criticised the UK government over its stance on Palestinian statehood.