Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings to fund what she described as 'the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country's history'. Speaking at a defence conference in London, she criticised the government for Britain's 'lack of readiness' for war, exposed by recent world events.
Badenoch committed the Tories to recruiting 6,000 full-time soldiers and 14,000 reservists, promising 'the largest net increase in British troops under any government since the second world war'. The party claims it could raise £20bn towards the venture by reinstating the two-child benefit cap and reallocating money earmarked for net zero projects.
Badenoch also addressed the strained UK-US relationship, calling Donald Trump's public criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer 'disconcerting'. She warned that adversaries like Iran, China, and Russia are watching the weakening of western bonds, which she said should not be allowed.
Labour has accused Badenoch of prematurely supporting US military action against Iran and defended its own defence spending plans. The government has committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2027, increasing to 3% in the next parliament, but faces pressure to publish a detailed plan.
