Wes Streeting refused to commit to hitting 3% defence spending by the end of the decade, as Labour faces accusations of failing to keep Britain safe. The Defence Secretary dodged the question when grilled by reporters, saying he did not want to get on the wrong side of the Treasury.
Streeting denies seeking defence on the cheap
Mr Streeting, who has never served in the forces, denied he was seeking to protect the UK on the cheap. It comes just weeks after John Healey resigned as defence secretary over the lack of funding, blasting former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer for failing to keep Britain safe. Mr Healey has since been appointed Chancellor by the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham.
Mr Streeting was speaking at a Hampshire Airshow, where he hailed new uncrewed, autonomous fighter jets in development for the RAF, saying they would cost "a fifth of the price" of traditional planes.
Critics round on defence secretary
Critics rounded on the Cabinet minister, saying he had "made a faltering start" and was "unable even to tell us in what year the MoD would meet the 3% spending target".
Shadow armed forces minister Mark Francois told the Daily Express that Mr Streeting had been left a "gaping £5billion black hole" by Sir Keir and former chancellor Rachel Reeves. That funding gap emerged after the Starmer government failed to fund the Defence Investment Plan in full.
Mr Francois added: "He can't say how he is going to pay for that, either. You won't deter the likes of Vladimir Putin with Enron-style accounting like this."
Tory MP criticises Burnham
Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty took aim at Mr Burnham himself, saying his refusal to commit to the uplift showed he was "no more prepared to spend on defence than Keir Starmer was".
He added: "Having appointed a Chancellor in John Healey who last month called for a commitment to 3% and a pathway to 3.5% after resigning as defence secretary, to then undermine him so publicly less than 48 hours later shows that for all the rhetoric, defence simply isn't a priority for the Burnham Government."
Mr Obese-Jecty said the £5billion black hole "needs to be filled by the Budget", adding: "The question is whether Andy Burnham will let John Healey find the funding to do it."
Streeting: 'I'm trying not to be on the wrong side of the Chancellor'
Mr Streeting denied he was seeking defence on the cheap, saying: "Absolutely not. I'm trying not to be on the wrong side of the Chancellor on day two in office. The Chancellor's position is on the record. My calls for greater defence investment are also on the record."
