BRUSSELS (AP) — Hours after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth upbraided his NATO allies and announced a Pentagon review of their performance, the leaders of many European nations were assessing a check list of progress made on security priorities.
In essence, Hegseth was telling the Europeans things they already know.
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks after a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, fourth right, greets United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, front second left, during a group photo of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second right, greets Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar, right, next to European Council President Antonio Costa during a round table meeting at the EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, center, talks to other EU leaders during a round table meeting at the EU summit in Brussels, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, speaks during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council in defense ministers format at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
The list included their hike in defense spending, investment in industry to boost the production of military equipment, best use of lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, and the need to buy or develop drones, air defense systems and long-range weapons.
At a summit ending Friday, they mulled how to put joint European Union funding to best use and cut red tape to speed purchases, weighed the state of “military mobility” to speed the deployment of troops and equipment, and upgrade ports and airports.
“Europe’s defense readiness must be decisively ramped up by 2030,” they reaffirmed. The list was not new, rather something they have developed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Intelligence agencies have warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an attack elsewhere in Europe before the end of the decade, especially if he defeats Ukraine. Already they accuse Russia of acts of sabotage and misinformation across Europe.
About two-thirds of EU member countries also stand in NATO’s ranks, and the added unpredictability of the Trump administration has only girded them to forge ahead alone. Hegseth’s Pentagon review was just the latest surprise.
Hegseth does not attend many NATO meetings, and he left Thursday’s gathering of defense ministers early. But his first major speech to the allies in February 2025 and his follow-up this week were memorable.
On Thursday he berated NATO as a “paper-tiger,” said allies had been “shameful” and that “too many failed” a test put to them by President Donald Trump when he sought use of their bases in Europe to launch attacks on Iran.
He even took a shot at their focus on “gender equity and climate change” and slammed their migration policies.
Hegseth then gave them six months to shape up for a Pentagon performance review that tied the presence of U.S. forces in Europe and American investment in NATO to whether he believes they are pulling their weight.
“It’s protection racket framing that undermines NATO solidarity, trust in the U.S. commitment to NATO, and, ultimately, U.S. security interests,” said Rachel Ellehuus, Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute think-tank.
What the review really involves is not clear.
“It will be designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe,” Hegseth said. “Some countries will fail and others will pass with flying colors.”
It might last “up to six months, could be less,” he said, and involve U.S. military commanders, members of Congress and the allies themselves.
He said that U.S. payments into a joint NATO budget that runs its headquarters and other facilities will depend on how they’re doing. “Where other allies do not spend with urgency, our dues contributions will go down,” Hegseth said.
Talking to reporters at Brussels airport before flying out, he said it would also address “where is the right place for basing. Where can we make sure we have access and overflight when we need it, so that America is properly postured on the continent.”
NATO played no active role in the Iran war, but did shield alliance territory from possible attack.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte could shed no light on what Hegseth's review might entail.
“There’s still no clarity on exactly what the outcome will be, because that will depend on the review. So, we’ll see what happens,” Rutte said, adding that: “Wherever we can be helpful, we will be helpful.” Rutte might learn more when he travels to Washington next week.
As far as Rutte’s concerned, European allies and Canada are doing well, although they could always do more.
“What we are seeing is staggering amounts of money coming in,” he told reporters. “Europe and Canada are spending in 2025 more than $90 billion extra compared to 2024, which is almost a 20% increase in defense spending.”
The extra money must now be converted into more military equipment, weapons and ammunition.
At their summit last year, the allies agreed to boost their military budgets to match that of the United States in terms of gross domestic product. Trump left the meeting a happy man, calling his NATO counterparts a “nice group of people.” But the review does not augur well for their next summit in Turkey on July 7-8.
Still, top European military officers now hold more command roles at NATO, and U.S. allies have taken charge of funneling arms and money into Ukraine as the Trump administration has stepped back.
Some Europeans and Canada are also spending billions to buy vital air defense systems from the United States that they donate to Ukraine, whose war with Russia they see as an existential threat to Europe.
Indeed, it’s hard to see what more could be done, and faster, except perhaps to provide unfettered access to their airspace and bases on their territory for America to wage its wars elsewhere.
Ellehuus, a former top U.S. advisor at NATO, said that force positioning “should be driven by detailed threat assessments, operational requirements, and military planning – not used as a form of reward, punishment or revenge.”
“Such framing undermines allies while they’re actively trying to solve the problem and telegraphs to adversaries that U.S. security commitments have a price tag,” she said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks after a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, fourth right, greets United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, front second left, during a group photo of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second right, greets Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar, right, next to European Council President Antonio Costa during a round table meeting at the EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, Pool)
French President Emmanuel Macron, center, talks to other EU leaders during a round table meeting at the EU summit in Brussels, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, speaks during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council in defense ministers format at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
LONDON (AP) — Labour’s Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, won a special election for a seat in Parliament and signaled Friday that he will use it to challenge embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the country.
Burnham decisively won the seat of Makerfield in northwest England over Rob Kenyon of the anti-immigration party Reform UK, and called the victory a chance for Britain “to turn the tide.”
The result cements the status of Burnham, a 56-year-old politician nicknamed the King of the North, as the top contender to replace Starmer as leader of the Labour Party and the country. Burnham won almost 55% of the 45,510 votes cast for a field of more than a dozen candidates, over 9,000 more than runner-up Kenyon.
Burnham’s acceptance speech left no doubt that he wants to lead the country, and not just be one of the more than 400 Labour lawmakers in the 650-seat House of Commons.
“Everyone knows that politics isn’t working," he said. "Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.”
Starmer congratulated Burnham, writing on X that voters “chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.”
But the prime minister insisted he would fight any attempt to oust him.
“Yes, I will run, I will stand,” if there is a Labour leadership contest, Starmer said. "I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that.”
Burnham has led Manchester since 2017, overseeing rapid regeneration for the city where the Industrial Revolution was forged. He is pledging to repeat his signature brand of “Manchesterism” on a national scale.
Burnham said he would work to ensure that “the name Makerfield is forever synonymous with bringing about the change this country needs.”
He told supporters and campaign workers on Friday that voters' rejection of Labour in local elections last month was “a clear call for change” and "we are going to lay out a new path for Britain.”
“We need an economy that works for everybody, not a few in far-off places from here,” he said.
“We have an opportunity to turn the tide, to make the country feel like it’s working again, to make people see that politics can make a positive difference, to make people feel hope again.”
Earlier, in his victory speech, he said Labour had “a final chance to change" and win back voters' trust.
“But it is a chance now, from this result tonight, to build a new politics based on unity and hope, turning away from the path that takes us to a divided, dark politics of the kind we see in the United States,” he said.
Starmer’s popularity has cratered since he led the center-left Labour Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024.
He has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as the U.K. ambassador to the United States.
Labour is losing liberal voters to the growing Green Party, and facing a rising Reform UK, which consistently leads in nationwide opinion polls. The Nigel Farage -led party has rapidly gained ground in post-industrial northern England areas like Makerfield, some 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of London.
Burnham’s resounding victory gives Labour new hope of stopping the Reform tide. Farage acknowledged he was “disappointed, no question about it,” with the result of Thursday’s vote.
A dismal performance by Labour in May’s local elections spurred scores of lawmakers to demand Starmer’s resignation. He has refused to budge, but senior colleagues are trying to force a change.
Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary in May, saying that “where we need vision, we have a vacuum.” Streeting has said he will run in a leadership contest if there is one.
Then Josh Simons, the Labour lawmaker for Makerfield, stepped down to trigger a special election and give Burnham the chance to return to Parliament.
Britain’s parliamentary system allows governing parties to change leaders midterm, with the winner becoming prime minister without the need for a national election. Under Labour rules, a lawmaker can challenge the leader if they have backing from a fifth of the party’s House of Commons lawmakers — a number that stands at 81.
Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester, said defeating Reform UK in Makerfield strengthens Burnham’s claim to be Labour’s biggest asset.
“The narrative he can bring is, ‘No one else could have won that seat. I won that. I bring something unique. I bring an ability to renew our appeal,’” Ford said.
Burnham will head to London to be sworn in as a lawmaker as soon as Monday. He’s likely to seek a meeting with Starmer to argue that the prime minister should exit gracefully and set a timetable for his departure.
Labour lawmaker Louise Haigh, a Burnham ally, said Starmer should “do what’s best for both the country and the Labour Party” and “consider an orderly and managed transition.”
“Andy won’t be doing anything rash or hasty,” she told Sky News. “I’m really hopeful the prime minister and Andy can come to an agreement.”
Starmer insisted Friday he was elected on a “mandate for change” and would carry on with it.
Earlier this week he suggested that he could offer Burnham a Cabinet post, an idea rebuffed by Burnham's allies.
Despite his stubborn determination, Starmer could be forced out if several members of the Cabinet tell him the game is up and quit, or threaten to quit, in protest.
There could then be a leadership contest, or a coronation, depending on whether other potential candidates think Burnham has an unassailable lead.
“When things begin to slide away from a prime minister, they begin to slide away very, very quickly," said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.
“Over the weekend there will be all sorts of talks behind closed doors, mainly I suspect people trying to persuade Keir Starmer ... that the game is up."
Associated Press writer Danica Kirka contributed to this story.
Britain's Labour party candidate Andy Burnham speaks to supporters after the Makerfield by-election in Ashton in Makerfield, England, Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Labour party's Andy Burnham stands beside candidate Count Binface, left, and a candidate for Protect British Wildlife after winning the Makerfield by-election, paving the way for a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. in Wigan, England, Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Labour party's Andy Burnham speaks after winning the Makerfield by-election, paving the way for a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. in Wigan, England, Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Britain's Labour party's Andy Burnham leaves with his wife Marie-France Van Heel and their daughter Rosie after winning the Makerfield by-election, paving the way for a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. in Wigan, England, Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Vote counts started after the Makerfield by-election in Wigan, England, Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Labour party's Andy Burnham speaks after winning the Makerfield by-election, paving the way for a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. in Wigan, England, Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Britain's Reform Party leader Nigel Farage and local candidate Rob Kenyon ashake hands at a polling station during the by-election in Makerfield, England, Thursday, June 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Andy Burnham, Britain's Labour candidate for Makerfield, gestures in front of supporters during the by-election in Makerfield, England, Thursday, June 18, 2026 where voters are choosing a new lawmaker with Andy Burnham of the Labour Party as the leading contender.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Labour party candidate Andy Burnham arrives at the Edge Wigan for the Makerfield by-election result announcement in Wigan, England, Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
