Badenoch Confronts Starmer Over Defence Spending Delays in Commons Clash
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has launched a fierce attack on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, demanding he "get a grip" on defence spending amid growing concerns that the issue could drag on for months. The heated exchange occurred during Prime Minister's Questions, where Badenoch highlighted the government's failure to set out plans to increase military funding, a delay that has now persisted for over half a year.
Labour's Dithering Leaves UK 'In Peril', Warns Ex-Nato Chief
Badenoch seized upon recent criticism from former Nato secretary general George Robertson, who warned this week that Labour's indecision is placing the United Kingdom "in peril". She pointedly noted that while ministers have published detailed welfare spending plans extending to 2031, there is no equivalent strategy for defence investment.
"The Prime Minister will not fund our military, because he wants to fund more welfare," Badenoch asserted in the Commons. "That is why he has a welfare plan to 2031, but no defence investment plan at all." She challenged Starmer directly to address Robertson's stark warning that "we cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget."
Starmer Defends Record Amid Internal Labour Pressure
In response, Prime Minister Starmer expressed respect for Lord Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary who authored the government's strategic defence review last year. However, he disagreed with the peer's analysis, emphasising his commitment to national security.
"My responsibility is to keep the British people safe, and that is a duty I take seriously," Starmer told MPs. "That is why I don't agree with his comments." He reiterated a pledge to increase defence spending to 2.6 per cent of GDP by reducing foreign aid, and insisted the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan, originally due last autumn, would be released "as soon as possible."
Growing Labour Unrest Over Defence Funding Delays
The confrontation comes as Labour faces mounting internal pressure to accelerate action on defence. Former defence secretary Geoff Hoon has become the third ex-Labour defence chief to urge the government to tackle the issue more urgently. In an interview with GB News, Hoon stated that Robertson's intervention indicates something has gone "seriously wrong".
"We have to get on with this, and it's incumbent upon the Prime Minister and ultimately the Treasury to fall in, in order to get this right, to protect our country," Hoon emphasised. "There are occasions on which it is necessary to twist the arm of the Treasury, and doing so in this very public way is perhaps a way to force the Treasury to recognise that defence spending in the present international situation must be a priority."
Adding to the chorus of concern, Tan Dhesi, Labour chairman of the Commons defence committee, told MPs: "We as a nation are ill-prepared to face the threats in this more volatile world." This aligns with the Daily Mail's ongoing campaign for increased defence funding.
Funding Shortfalls and Treasury Resistance Complicate Plans
Government sources have suggested that publishing detailed defence spending plans is currently hindered by "purdah" rules, which restrict official actions ahead of local elections. However, insiders reveal that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is resisting providing the necessary funds for a ten-year programme, with the plan potentially not finalised until June.
The funding gap is substantial: the scheme reportedly faces a £28 billion shortfall over the next four years. To date, Reeves has offered only £10 billion, while demanding the Ministry of Defence identify an additional £3.5 billion in "efficiency savings" this year. This financial squeeze underscores the broader tensions between defence priorities and fiscal constraints within the Labour government.
