Weakness from Keir Starmer and Europe will only encourage Donald Trump to seize Greenland, a former defence secretary warned today. Ben Wallace said the response to mounting threats from the US had to be 'much more robust'. He insisted that the president was similar to Vladimir Putin in that he only respected 'strength'. The White House stoked fears of a Nato implosion overnight, explicitly saying that taking the strategic Danish territory by force is on the table.

A statement said 'utilising the US military is always an option' and warned Mr Trump's determination to control Greenland is 'not going away'. The escalation came despite the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark jointly declared they will 'not stop defending' the territory. 'Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,' they said. They called America an 'essential partner' and reiterated that the US and Denmark signed a defense agreement in 1951.

Sir Ben (pictured), who served in the last Tory government, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'To attack another Nato member, which Denmark is, and a loyal member who supported them in 9/11 and sent troops to Afghanistan, would very much signal the demise of a large part of Nato.' Pressed whether the UK Government needed to go further in sticking up for Denmark and Greenland, Sir Ben said: 'I think they have to be much more robust. I think we have to be strong.'

He added: 'You know, President Trump, like President Putin, thinks that Europeans are weak and doesn't respect sort of mealy-mouthed type statements.' The UK's reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall, last night warned that any US move against Nato allies would be a 'gift to China'. 'They are the US's great adversary in the globe at the moment,' he told BBC Newsnight. Pictured: View of Helicopter and Marina in Tasiilaq East Greenland.

He continued: 'China wants to present itself and does present itself as a stable reliable partner... can you imagine the impact on Europe if America went against a Nato member. There would be people within the European Union and within Nato who would start to look towards China. So I don't think it's going to happen. It seems to me this is just a bit of theatre. It may be they've got lots of options but I doubt military is a real one.' Pictured: Jonathan Hall.