It really does say something that a man hounded out of his job as prime minister could lead the world’s biggest military alliance.

In yet another incredible example of failing upwards Keir Starmer – who on paper at least still leads Britain – threw in the towel after an emotional admission of inadequacy. He will leave Downing Street in three weeks.

And, remarkably, he’s now positioning himself as a leading contender to become secretary general of the NATO military alliance.

It is hard to see how Starmer, an abject failure at home, could be taken seriously for an important job abroad especially after John Healey quit as defence secretary in protest at the PM’s failure to adequately fund our hollowed out armed forces.

Britain currently allocates a paltry 2.3% of GDP to defence, around £66bn annually. By comparison welfare spending is around 10.9% of GDP at £333.7bn.

Starmer thinks, as much of Labour does, that benefits are more important than bullets yet his allies still believe he is in with a shout when Mark Rutte, the former prime minister of the Netherlands, vacates his post in 2028.

If it comes to pass it will surely rank among the most extraordinary examples of failure being handsomely rewarded – the job comes with plenty of perks, including a £260,000 tax-free salary.

The man banging Starmer’s drum is Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. And no wonder. Since the Russian invasion in 2022 the UK has committed around £22bn in support.

Starmer has regularly gone missing in action during his brief stint as PM – ditching domestic duties to glad hand with European power brokers like French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.

He has travelled more frequently and further than any other British leader in history – double the distance Sir Tony Blair covered during the same period in office.

During the first 17 months in the job Starmer spent two-and-a-half months abroad.

The first priority of any government is to keep its people safe. Under Starmer Labour has shown where its priorities are – and it is not our armed forces.

By 2034/35 NATO has collectively agreed to members spending 5% of GDP.

Yesterday our lame duck PM set out a £15bn boost to the defence investment plan, saying the UK will eventually spend 4.2% of national wealth on defence – a meaningless promise as he has failed to give a date by which this will happen.

As rogue states like China, Iran and Russia flex their muscles, Britain still throws welfare payments around like confetti.

What is it with failed politicians and plum jobs?

Starmer vowed to stand and fight and finish the job he started. But in the end there was no rearguard action or valiant defence, just a whimper as he promised to vacate his position after backstabber Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election.

At a time of global insecurity and heightened tensions does NATO want or need a political pygmy in charge?

If Starmer ends up leading the 32-country club it would be music to the ears of the mad ayatollahs of Tehran, the bloodthirsty despot in the Kremlin, and the clandestine operators from China.

And by the time he does, Russia could be ready to strike.

Respected Mr Rutte warned: “Because of Russia, war has returned to Europe. We also face the threat of terrorism and fierce global competition. Russia has teamed up with China, North Korea and Iran. They are expanding their militaries and their capabilities.

“Putin’s war machine is speeding up, not slowing down. Russia is reconstituting its forces with Chinese technology and producing more weapons faster than we thought. In terms of ammunition, Russia produces in three months what the whole of NATO produces in a year. And its defence industrial base is expected to roll out 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armoured vehicles and 200 Iskander missiles this year alone. Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.

“China is also modernising and expanding its military at breakneck speed. It already has the world’s largest navy. And its battle force is expected to grow to 435 ships by 2030. China is also building up its nuclear arsenal. And it aims to have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads also by 2030.”

Starmer’s record on defence hardly inspires confidence. In fact it doesn’t bear thinking about.

But he will hope that everyone forgets that when he turns up at the NATO summit in Ankara next week for one of his last major assignments before he is replaced by Burnham… the man who will then have the ultimate authority to authorise a nuclear strike (assuming, of course, that any of the Royal Navy’s four Vanguard-class submarines are operational).