Andy Burnham says UK will keep "serving in Nato missions around the world" as it stays in alliance

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Andy Burnham for the first time on Wednesday at a research facility in Didcot, Oxfordshire. Burnham, the new UK prime minister, said the country would stay committed to the alliance after its leadership changed. Rutte wished him well and described the UK as a leading force in NATO and a scientific and technological leader. Burnham pointed to British military contributions to the alliance. The talks came as the prime minister faces pressure over how the UK will meet NATO’s goal of spending 3.5 percent of GDP on core defense by 2035. John Healey resigned as defense secretary in Keir Starmer’s administration amid a funding dispute, arguing for 3 percent by 2030. Rutte later called for a more European NATO and support for Ukraine against Russia.