Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out tax hikes to fund defence spending, during a heated Prime Minister's Questions session with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
Defence Investment Plan Delayed
The Government's defence investment plan is due to be published ahead of the Nato summit in Turkey, which begins on July 7. Originally slated for publication last autumn, the plan has been repeatedly delayed.
Mrs Badenoch pressed the Prime Minister on whether taxpayers should expect an increase, but he declined to respond directly. She said: "There is still no defence investment plan. He is the Prime Minister now, at least I think he is – should I be calling Andy Burnham instead to ask these questions?"
Badenoch's Challenge
Mrs Badenoch outlined three options: cutting spending, more borrowing, or higher taxes. She asked: "Will the Prime Minister rule out raising taxes?"
Sir Keir pointed to the Conservatives' record, accusing them of causing "damage to the armed forces." He stated: "When they left office, 47 out of 49 major defence contracts were delayed or over budget. That is what we are fixing. You can't just scrub away and forget."
The Prime Minister added: "We've increased defence spending, we are going to publish the defence investment plan, and that will be done before the Nato summit coming up in just a few weeks' time."
Dispute Over Funding
Reports indicate a dispute at the heart of Government over the plan, known as the Dip (defence investment plan). The Prime Minister and Chancellor are reportedly arguing for a £15 billion package, far short of the £28 billion over the next four years that defence officials have called for.
Mrs Badenoch said: "The reason the Prime Minister is in this mess is because he maxed out on spending in his first two budgets. That's why the benefits bill is set to rise to over £200 billion pounds by the end of the decade."
Sir Keir responded: "We are not going to take lectures on defence from the party opposite after what they did to the armed forces, and nor are we going to take lectures on the economy, which they crashed and we had to pick up."
Liberal Democrat Concerns
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey raised concerns that the hospital programme would be slashed to fund the shortfall in defence spending. He asked: "Will the Prime Minister rule out any cuts to the NHS budget to fund defence?"
Sir Keir said: "We will take the necessary measures to defend our country, the first duty of any Prime Minister. We will also take the measures, as we have done, to invest in our public services."
