Donald Trump will visit the UK for a Nato summit in London

Donald Trump will visit London in December for a Nato summit, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg reveals

  • Nato has announced it will hold a summit in London in December this year 
  • The event will mean US President Donald Trump making a new visit to the UK 
  • He first came to Britain as President in July last year for a four-day working trip 
  • President Trump has been invited for a full-blown state visit but no date is set  

Donald Trump will make his second visit to the UK in December for a Nato summit, it was announced today.

The US President is to join the regular meeting in London amid rising concern about the threat from Russia.

The news raises the prospect of another turbulent trip for Mr Trump – after his first dramatic appearance as President in July last year.

During that stay he managed to launch a savage attack on the PM’s Brexit plans, before giving a memorably eccentric joint press conference with Mrs May at her Chequers country residence.  

Mr Trump is still due to make a full-blown state visit at some point but the trip has been frequently delayed amid fears of protests – which were also staged during his July trip.

Downing Street said today the two visits were ‘separate’. The state visit has not yet been scheduled.  

Donald Trump finally made his first visit to the UK in July last year (pictured). He is also due to make a full-blown state visit at some point but the trip has been frequently delayed amid fears of protests

President Trump (pictured last night making the State of the Union address) has been a persistent critic of Nato members failing to spend enough on defence 

President Trump (pictured last night making the State of the Union address) has been a persistent critic of Nato members failing to spend enough on defence 

Mr Stoltenberg said: ‘I am pleased to announce that Allies have agreed that the next meeting of Nato Heads of State and Government will take place in London in December 2019.

‘We are grateful to the United Kingdom for agreeing to host this meeting in Nato’s 70th anniversary year.

‘London was the home of Nato’s first headquarters. The United Kingdom was one of the Alliance’s twelve founding members and continues to play a key role in the Alliance, making essential contributions to our shared security.

‘The meeting in London will be an opportunity for Allied Heads of State and Government to address the security challenges we face now and in the future, and to ensure that Nato continues to adapt in order to keep its population of almost one billion people safe.’

Prime Minister Theresa May said: ‘The UK is one of the founding members of Nato and I am very pleased that the Secretary General has asked us to host a meeting of Nato leaders this year to mark its 70th anniversary.

‘For 70 years Nato has been the cornerstone of our national security. But today’s challenges are very different from those we faced when the Alliance established its first headquarters in London.

‘The UK has played a central role throughout Nato’s history as it has adapted to deal with new and complex threats to our security.

‘So as we pay tribute to the service men and women who have worked so hard over so many years to keep us safe, December’s meeting is an important opportunity to determine the steps we must now take to modernise the Alliance and ensure its continued success.’

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (pictured in Norway on Tuesday) announced the London summit this morning

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (pictured in Norway on Tuesday) announced the London summit this morning

President Trump has been a frequent critic of Nato and senior members of the alliance failing to spend enough on defence. Just six members of the alliance - including Britain - hit a 2 per cent target in 2017

President Trump has been a frequent critic of Nato and senior members of the alliance failing to spend enough on defence. Just six members of the alliance – including Britain – hit a 2 per cent target in 2017

Cost breakdown for the Met Police  

Catering – £39,021

Hotels – £22,294

Mobile phones – £1,375

Vehicles – £74,894

Officers’ time – £1,681,248

Overtime – £862,197 

President Trump has been a frequent critic of Nato and senior members of the alliance failing to spend enough on defence. 

Just six members of the alliance – including Britain – hit a 2 per cent target in 2017 with major nations including German and Canada failing to hit the mark.  

Policing President Trump’s four-day visit to the UK last year cost more than £14.2 million, according to figures revealed this week.

The US president flew in to swathes of protests as he met the Queen at Windsor Castle, was hosted by Theresa May and played golf in Scotland.

With thousands of officers drafted in from every force in Great Britain, policing July’s trip cost in excess of £14,258,966, according to police figures released under Freedom of Information laws.

What Mr Trump’s visit cost each police force 

Thames Valley Police – £6million 

Police Scotland –  £3.2 million

Met Police – £3million 

Essex Police – £1.86million

British Transport Police – £200,350 

The Home Office reimbursed £7.9 million to cover the additional costs to the three forces in England that ‘hosted’ Mr Trump – the Metropolitan Police, Thames Valley Police (TVP) and Essex Police. The Treasury was to refund Police Scotland.

Before Air Force One touched down on July 12, the combined police and security bill had been estimated to be £10 million.

And with the Foreign Office costs not yet disclosed, the total price of the visit is likely to be significantly higher.

Nato last hosted a summit in the UK in 2012, allowing then David Cameron to seize on the chance for a high profile visit from Barack Obama.

On that occasion the meeting was held in Newport and Cardiff.  

What do Nato members spend on defence?

Nato members are obliged to spend 2 per cent of their GDP on defence under the terms of the treaty – but few do. In 2017, members spent:  

What do Nato members spend on defence compared to the 2 per cent of GDP target?  
Country  Per Cent  Billions of dollars
United States 3.58  683
Greece  2.32 4.5 
 Estonia 2.14  0.5 
 United Kingdom 2.14  54.8 
 Romania 2.02  3.8 
 Poland 2.01  9.9 
 France 1.79  44.3 
 Lithuania 1.77  0.7 
 Latvia 1.70  0.4 
 Montenegro 1.66  0.7 
 Norway 1.59  6.3 
 Bulgaria 1.57  0.8 
 Turkey 1.52  12.3 
 Portugal 1.32  2.7 
 Canada 1.31  20.3 
 Croatia 1.27  0.6 
 Germany 1.22  42.8 
 Albania  1.22  0.1 
Slovak Republic  1.19 
 Denmark 1.17  3.6 
 Netherlands 1.17  9.4 
 Italy  1.13  22.5 
 Czech Republic 1.07  2.1 
 Hungary  1.05  1.3 
 Slovenia 1.02  0.4 
Spain  0.92  11.6 
 Belgium 0.91  4.3 
 Luxembourg 0.44  0.2 

 

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