Barack Obama has pressed David Cameron to maintain Britain’s commitment to meeting the Nato target of spending 2% of GDP on defence.

Mr Cameron has not committed to the 2% benchmark beyond March 2016.

Any decision must “await Chancellor George Osborne’s Spending Review in the autumn”, he says….

Mr Osborne’s demand last week for a further £500m in Ministry of Defence cuts has fuelled concerns that the UK may drop below the 2% level next year.

Following the talks between the two men at the Schloss Elmau castle in the Bavarian Alps, a Downing Street source said Mr Obama had “touched on” the issue of whether Britain would continue to meet the 2% target.

“The president underlined the importance of the UK and US as the two pillars of Nato, and said he accepted the fiscal challenge but hoped that the UK would find a way to meet it,” said the source.

Asked if Mr Cameron had offered any assurances in response, the source declined to “give a running commentary”, but said the PM had pointed to the numerous military operations around the world to which Britain has contributed.

Image: Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama, June 17, 2015 (photo: Arron Hoare/Office of the Prime Minister)