UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has accused outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of leaving a £5 billion funding shortfall in the government’s new defence investment plan, claiming the financial burden will fall on his expected successor, Andy Burnham.
The government this week unveiled a £15 billion defence investment plan aimed at strengthening the UK’s military capabilities by 2030. However, Defence Minister Luke Pollard confirmed that £4.7 billion still needs to be found in the autumn Budget to fully finance the programme.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Badenoch questioned whether Burnham had agreed to cover the funding gap, arguing that the plan “doesn’t add up” and accusing Labour of prioritising welfare spending over defence.
Starmer rejected the criticism, accusing the Conservatives of cutting defence spending while in government. He said Labour had already secured additional defence funding through budget savings and insisted any Labour prime minister would support the investment plan.
The funding package comes ahead of next week’s NATO summit and includes major investments in military equipment, infrastructure and drone technology. However, the government has ruled out extra borrowing, instead planning to finance the remaining costs by reducing long-term capital spending in other departments.
As part of the savings, several major transport projects, including the A38 Derby Junctions and A46 Newark Bypass schemes, could be cancelled, prompting criticism from local leaders and MPs.
Andy Burnham has not yet publicly commented on the defence spending plan or the reported funding gap.
Source: BBC
