Starmer Accused of Hesitation on Defence Spending
Kemi Badenoch has accused the prime minister of "dithering" over defence spending, amid ongoing disputes within the government regarding the financing of new military equipment.
The Conservative leader stated that Sir Keir Starmer had been "paralysed" on the matter due to Labour MPs' reluctance to reduce what she described as "bloated" welfare expenditure.
She urged him to dismiss the possibility of further tax increases to fund a boost to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which is seeking additional resources to support a delayed investment plan originally scheduled for release last autumn.
Sir Keir Starmer responded by affirming that the plan would be published ahead of a NATO summit next month, while accusing the Conservative Party of neglecting the armed forces during their 14 years in government.
Details of the Defence Investment Plan
The defence investment plan is intended to outline how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be financed over the next decade, following a review of the UK's military capabilities conducted in June of the previous year.
However, the publication of this blueprint has been postponed after the MoD reportedly requested an additional £28 billion over the next four years, based on an internal assessment conducted last year.
Reports indicate that the prime minister is preparing to announce an extra £13.5 billion following negotiations with the department, possibly within the coming days.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle cautioned ministers against releasing the plan while MPs are absent from Westminster, describing it as a "disgrace" if parliamentarians are unable to immediately question ministers.
At the start of an urgent question session, he stated to the Commons:
"There are strong rumours that the government is going to produce its defence investment plan on Friday. That would be an utter disgrace and an utter kick in the face to the members of this House."
Calls to Rule Out Tax Increases
Earlier, during Prime Minister's Questions, Badenoch urged Sir Keir to rule out tax increases as a means to finance any potential funding increase, following Chancellor Rachel Reeves' statement on Tuesday that government borrowing "cannot always be the answer."
The Conservative leader told MPs:
"He has only three options: cutting spending, more borrowing, or higher taxes. We know that the chancellor wants to put up tax to pay for it."
She added:
"The reason that he's dithering is because he doesn't know where the money is coming from."
Furthermore, Badenoch noted that former Labour defence secretary Lord Robertson had proposed benefit cuts as a method to fund additional defence spending, but claimed the prime minister was "too weak to face down his backbenchers" to implement such savings.
Prime Minister's Response and NATO Summit
In reply, the prime minister accused the Conservative Party of failing the armed forces during their tenure, highlighting reductions in the Navy's minesweeping capabilities and missed recruitment targets for the Army.
He stated:
"When they were in office, they didn't reform welfare or invest in our armed services."
He also mentioned that officials were still "working through the details" of the investment plan, which is expected to be published before the NATO summit in Turkey next month.
Budget and Spending Plans
The MoD's budget is projected to increase by 3.6% in real terms by 2029, according to departmental spending plans established last year.
At that time, Chancellor Reeves asserted that these departmental spending settlements would not be renegotiated. However, she has since indicated that global instability necessitates additional defence expenditure.
According to The Times, Downing Street has requested departments to identify cuts of at least 1% to their long-term investment budgets, potentially leading to conflicts with cabinet ministers over how to accommodate extra defence spending.
Background on Equipment Plans and Budget Shortfalls
The investment plan is intended to replace the previous decade-long "equipment plans," which were published annually on a rolling basis until 2022, when the former government ceased publication amid rising inflation.
An analysis released by the MoD in December 2023, under the previous administration, found that the department's most recent equipment plan was projected to exceed its budget by £16.9 billion.
A report by MPs published the following year identified spiralling costs associated with maintaining the UK's nuclear weapons system as the primary cause of this shortfall. This system has been funded from the MoD budget since 2010.
for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
