Spain rejects Nato plan for member states to spend 5% of GDP on defence

PM Pedro Sanchez says he wants a more flexible formula' that would make target optional or allow Madrid to opt out

Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has rejected Nato's proposal for member states to increase their defence spending to 5% of their GDP, saying the idea would not only be unreasonable but also counterproductive".

Sanchez said that he was not seeking to complicate next week's Nato summit in The Hague, but he wanted there to be a more flexible formula" that would either make the target optional or allow Spain to opt out.