Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer should resign if he cannot prove that the long-delayed defence investment plan will protect national security, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said.
Badenoch Offers Tory Votes for Welfare Cuts
Speaking at a press conference in central London, Badenoch also offered to lend the votes of her MPs to Starmer—or another prime minister should he lose a leadership challenge—to pass welfare cuts through Parliament to pay for defence spending increases.
Plans to boost defence spending over the long term were thrown into disarray last week when John Healey resigned as defence secretary. Healey left the government because the defence investment plan (Dip) fell short of what defence chiefs had requested.
After months of wrangling, the long-delayed plan allocated approximately £13.5 billion in spending, rather than the £28 billion over four years that officials said was needed to transform Britain's armed forces into a future-proof military. Following the appointment of new Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis, no additional funding is expected for the Dip; any changes will likely involve reallocating existing funds rather than increasing the total.
Three Tests for the Defence Plan
Badenoch outlined three tests the plan must meet to protect national security:
- Funding: Britain should raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030 and provide at least £28 billion over four years as requested by defence chiefs.
- Readiness: Spending cannot be backloaded into the next Parliament.
- Capability: The Dip should equip Britain with more lethal and operationally effective armed forces.
She added: "If the Prime Minister is unable to provide the leadership within his Cabinet to deliver a defence investment plan that meets these three tests, he should resign now and make way for a leader who can."
Government Response
Defence minister Luke Pollard defended the government, saying Labour was ending the "hollowing out" of the armed forces under the Conservatives. He told MPs: "The disagreement in recent weeks was never about whether we should fund our forces, it's about how fast we increase the spending for defence and on what capabilities."
Badenoch's Offer to Labour
Badenoch also referenced the government's difficulties passing welfare reforms last summer, which were blocked by Labour MPs concerned about impacts on disabled people. She said: "My party is going to work with any Labour leader in the national interest to cut the benefits bill to pay for defence. I have made an offer of working together repeatedly for well over a year."
She wrote to Starmer's leadership rivals urging them to go further on defence spending but warned that "changing leader won't solve the problem of those backbenchers" who oppose the plans. She offered 115 Conservative votes for welfare reforms, plus her own.
Exclusions
Badenoch ruled out scrapping the state pension triple lock to fund defence, saying: "The triple lock is not where the issue is. If we get people off welfare and into work, it is a double whammy." She also said she would not support conscription, questioning how mandatory national service could work without a proper defence investment plan.
A No 10 spokeswoman said the Dip was being finalised with the new defence secretary and would be published in due course.
