Kemi Badenoch has stated that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer should resign if he cannot demonstrate that the long-delayed defence investment plan will safeguard the United Kingdom's national security. The Conservative Party leader made this assertion during a press conference in central London.
Defence Plan Controversy
The defence plan has been thrown into disarray following the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey last week. Healey left the government because the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) fell short of what defence chiefs had requested. After months of negotiations, the plan allocated approximately £13.5 billion in spending, significantly less than the £28 billion over four years that officials deemed necessary to modernise Britain's armed forces.
Three Tests for Defence Investment
Speaking on Monday, Badenoch outlined three tests that the defence plan must meet to ensure national security. First, funding should be raised to 3% of GDP by 2030, with a minimum of £28 billion over four years as requested by defence chiefs. Second, spending must prioritise readiness and cannot be backloaded into the next Parliament. Third, the plan should enhance capability, equipping the armed forces with a mix of traditional equipment and modern technology, such as drones and counter-drone systems.
Badenoch warned: "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."
Offer to Support Welfare Cuts
Badenoch also offered to lend Conservative MPs' votes to pass welfare cuts through Parliament to fund defence increases. She referenced the government's difficulties in passing welfare reforms last summer, which were blocked by Labour MPs concerned about impacts on disabled people. She stated: "My party is going to work with any Labour leader in the national interest to cut the benefits bill to pay for defence."
She added that she has been offering cooperation for over a year and would extend the same offer to Andy Burnham if Starmer does not accept. However, she cautioned that changing leader alone would not resolve opposition from backbenchers, emphasising that she is offering 115 Conservative votes—or 116 including her own—for welfare reforms.
Exclusions and Clarifications
Badenoch ruled out scrapping the state pension triple lock to fund defence, stating that the welfare bill is the issue, not the triple lock. She also rejected reviving the 2024 Conservative manifesto policy of reintroducing national service, questioning how young people could be asked to join the Army on a mandatory basis without proper funding.
She concluded: "If we get people off welfare and into work, it is a double whammy. We’re not paying their benefits, and they are paying more tax and helping to grow the economy."
