Former Defence Secretary John Healey has warned Labour’s military spending boost still leaves Britain unsafe.
Mr Healey, the MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, quit the Cabinet earlier this month, claiming he had only been offered £13.5billion for the Defence Investment Plan (Dip).
In the Commons, the backbencher welcomed the additional cash from the Treasury, but issued a stern warning to his successor in the Cabinet role, Dan Jarvis.
He said: “Threats are still growing, demands on defence are still rising in this dangerous world, and today’s step means that we will be spending, as a nation, 2.7 per cent of GDP on defence in 2030. The date that Nato now warns we could face a Russian attack.
“So, with European security at stake, would [Mr Jarvis] agree that more needs to be done in the months ahead beyond the Dip to develop a clear credible funding plan that will hit three per cent and that will meet our Nato commitment of 3.5 per cent by 2035?”
Mr Jarvis replied: “I aim absolutely to build on the work that he did.”
He added: “He is right, we do need to do more. We will need to spend more on defence, and that is why there was a clear commitment that that will be a number one priority at the next spending review. We have an absolute obligation to our Armed Forces and to our allies.”
Keir Starmer secretly offered backdoor deal to EU to slash tuition fees for foreign students in exchange for locking in Brexit reset talks
Sir Keir Starmer offered to reduce tuition fees for European Union students coming to Britain in exchange for securing a date for a summit with Brussels officials.
The Prime Minister wanted to cut fees from £38,000 to £9,535, in line with their domestic UK undergraduate counterparts.
According to sources, the pitch took place on the fringes of the G7 summit in Evian-Les-Bains, France, earlier this month between Sir Keir and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
The Prime Minister reportedly only agreed to discuss the costs of higher education on the basis that progress was made on his demands for the wider trade deal.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Steve Reed throws weight behind Andy Burnham’s devolution
Housing Secretary Steve Reed has backed Mr Burnham’s plans
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Steve Reed has backed Andy Burnham’s plans to “go further and faster” on devolution, which the minister said would build on the “fantastic start” made by Sir Keir Starmer’s Government.
He praised Mr Burnham’s pledge to transfer power and money out of Whitehall and into the regions, driven by a new “No10 North” based in Manchester.
“This Government has made a fantastic start, but Andy has made clear he wants to go further and faster, and I fully support that.”
Mr Reed said the northern outpost was a “great idea” which would give Mr Burnham a “better sense of the issues and challenges that confront other parts of the country”.
Home Secretary blames predecessors for new build asylum seeker housing row
Labour has confirmed it will not allow new build estates after a row erupted over Stoke Heath.
Residents in the Shropshire village have vowed to fight a scheme which will place 83 asylum seeker families into an estate of 21 homes.
A Home Office spokesman said: “New homes should never house asylum seekers.
“Earlier this year, the Home Secretary introduced robust processes to ensure new-build sites like Stoke Heath can never be considered again.”
Labour threatens to block Paramount-Warner Bros £83billion deal in major ‘intervention’
Paramount’s £83billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery could be scuppered as the Labour Government is “minded to intervene” before the deal goes through.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has signalled the Government may step in to block the Larry Ellison-owned media empire’s acquisition of the iconic entertainment company, raising concerns over the concentration of media power in the UK.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Ms Nandy confirmed she is “minded to intervene” in the transaction on public interest grounds.
The deal would establish one of the largest media and entertainment conglomerates globally.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
More than half of voters believe Andy Burnham is not ready to be Prime Minister
Andy Burnham is likely to become the next Prime Minister
| PA
More than half of voters do not think Andy Burnham is ready to be Prime Minister but are willing to give the former Greater Manchester Mayor a “hearing.”
New polling by More in Common found 59 per cent of Britons did not think Mr Burnham is ready for power.
However, the public still sees him as more ready than either Kemi Badenoch or Nigel Farage, with 62 per cent and 66 per cent respectively saying the two leaders were unready.
More in Common’s Executive Director Luke Tryl said the figures showed Britons were “willing to give Andy Burnham a hearing, but the window for him to turn that rehearing into a reset for the Government is narrow”.
Rhun ap Iorwerth says he is open to discussions with Reform UK in Wales
Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has said his Government is open to discussions with Reform ahead of a vote on its spending plans.
The Plaid Cymru leader who led the party to victory in May, does not have a majority in the Welsh Parliament and will need to reach an agreement with another group to pass his Government’s first supplementary budget.
During First Minister’s Questions on Tuesday, Reform UK’s Wales Leader Dan Thomas asked Mr ap Iorwerth whether he was open to working with his party ahead of the vote.
Mr Thomas said: “It’s clear from the initial reaction from all the opposition parties that if voting matches the rhetoric, the Government will not have support for its supplementary budget, and it will not go through.
“Will the First Minister disclose if you are having any talks with other political parties, and if there are any areas of compromise within the supplementary budget, and whether you’d be willing to work with Reform?”
Mr ap Iorwerth said it “shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody” that he had already met with Mr Thomas and “all leaders of political parties” in the Senedd.
He added: “When I speak of wanting to be a cooperative government, that means having conversations with leaders of Reform, the Conservatives, Labour and the Green Party.”
Liberal Democrats blast defence plan as ‘too little too late’
James MacCleary blasted the plans
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PARLIAMENT.TV
Liberal Democrat defence spokesman James MacCleary has blasted Labour’s defence plan as “too little, too late.”
Mr MacCleary, the MP for Lewes, told the Commons: “After years of Conservative neglect, Britain needed a government willing to match the scale of the challenge.
“Instead, we’ve had months of delay and now a plan that still appears to have a significant gap between the ambition and the resources required.”
Labour plans to put off spending on military housing to boost Britain’s defences
Labour has announced its plan to put off spending on military housing in order to boost Britain’s defences.
Around £9billion in investment would be pushed back for the accommodation so that Sir Keir Starmer was able to announce the long-awaited plan.
Mr Jarvis’s Tory counterpart told the Commons: “Can (Dan Jarvis) confirm that the defence investment plan includes cutting hundreds of millions of pounds from the budget for forces’ housing, shifting it from this Parliament into the 2030s?”
Mr Jarvis replied: “I understand why he would want to raise that because housing is hugely important for defence and the Armed Forces community and I know what it’s like to live in Armed Forces accommodation.
“And I said in my earlier remarks that we absolutely have a moral responsibility to those serve to make sure that we are able to provide them with the best possible living accommodations.
“That is why we have re-committed today to £9bn of investment, over the next 10 years. That will see investment in the housing estate growing in real terms in the next 10 years. That is an absolute commitment that we have made today.”
Dan Jarvis vows to commit Britain to ‘credible plan’ in bid to reach 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence spending by mid-2030s
Dan Jarvis has vowed to commit Britain to a “credible plan” in the Government’s bid to reach 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence spending by the mid-2030s.
Mr Jarvis told MPs: “The DIP represents significant progress in implementing the vision set out in our strategic defence review. We will invest more, target better. But there is much more work to be done.
“And not for nothing the UK made a promise to our allies as they did to us, 3.5 by ’35. And in a more dangerous world, our commitment to Nato is absolute.
“I gave my word to the secretary general and to all our allies that promise will be met and a credible plan will be produced to make sure that it is.
“We will reach three per cent in the next Parliament, with funding set out at the next spending review at which defence will be the number one priority.”
‘Not even worth the paper it’s written on!’ James Cartlidge slaps down Keir Starmer’s defence plan as Shadow Defence Secretary rips into ‘legacy of failure’
James Cartlidge has slapped down Sir Keir Starmer’s defence plan as the Shadow Defence Secretary ripped into the Prime Minister’s “legacy of failure”.
The Shadow Defence Secretary said the plan, outlined by the outgoing leader this morning, was “not even worth the paper it’s written on”.
The Tory said: “After months of dither and delay, it’s taken the sudden end of his premiership for the prime minister to finally publish the dip in a desperate search for a legacy.
“But it’s a legacy of failure, an underfunded defence investment plan. Too little, too late. The men and women of our Armed Forces deserve much better.”
‘Not enough!’ Former Defence Secretary delivers scathing review of Defence Investment Plan
The former Defence Secretary, John Healey, has delivered a scathing review of the Defence Investment Plan.
Dubbing the plan insufficient, Mr Healey said: “Today is the next down-payment for defence. It builds on the record defence investment Labour in Government has already made.
“But Britain will still be spending just 2.7 per cent of GDP in 2030, the date when Nato has warned we could face a Russian attack.”
The Labour backbencher urged Andy Burnham to outline a plan to hike spending to three per cent of GDP, including a target date.
He also demanded a “clear, credible funding plan” for spending 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035.
Dan Jarvis hands out ‘profound thanks’ to Prime Minister and Rachel Reeves – and John Healey
Dan Jarvis has handed out his “profound thanks” to the Prime Minister and his Chancellor after the unveiling of the Defence Investment Plan (Dip).
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Jarvis said: “(John Healey) set out to this House in clear terms why he could not support an earlier version of the plan.
“I will lay out what has changed, and why I can.”
Andy Burnham shakes off accusations he is ‘Labour’s first female Prime Minister’
Andy Burnham has tried to shake off accusations from his own party that he is “Labour’s first female Prime Minister”.
Yesterday, Kemi Badenoch guffawed at the Labour briefings, mocking the party for “still not knowing what a woman is”.
Now, Mr Burnham has said: “I never have and never will describe myself as the first female Labour Prime MInister”.
He told the women’s Parliamentary Labour Party: “I want to make it clear that if anyone in my team was found to have done that they would be out of the door. Their feet wouldn’t touch the floor.”
‘Cut benefits to fund British Armed Forces,’ Kemi Badenoch tells Prime Minister hopeful Andy Burnham
Kemi Badenoch has instructed Andy Burnham must take a sledgehammer to Britain’s benefits system to spend more on defence.
This morning, outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced £15billion in spending for UK defences, falling well short of his initial promised of somewhere between £18billion and £28billion.
Mrs Badenoch said: “Today, Labour is publishing a defence investment plan that is barely half what the armed forces say is needed, and well below what our allies are spending.
“Starmer is no longer the real Prime Minister. But he’s underfunding our military in his search for a ‘legacy’. If Andy Burnham has signed off on this, then he too is culpable of putting our service personnel at risk with this weak plan.
“We need to cut benefits to fund our Armed Forces. It doesn’t matter who leads them, the problem is Labour MPs who won’t do what is necessary to defend our country.”
Union leader at risk of being ousted from job amid surge of Reform UK in the polls
The leader of one of Britain’s largest unions is at risk of being removed from his role following Reform UK’s surge in the polls.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s General Secretary, has been slated with accusations that she is insufficiently acting to counter the scaling success of Nigel Farage’s party.
Last week, Ms Graham launched a scathing attack on Ed Miliband, warning Andy Burnham against hiring the Energy Secretary as his Chancellor if the Makerfield MP becomes Prime Minister.
She warned that Mr Miliband, along with his commitment to his Net Zero agenda, would be a “noose around the neck” for job growth.
READ MORE HERE.
Ex-Chancellor brands Keir Starmer’s defence plan as ‘damp squib’ as PM raves over £15bn package
Sir Jeremy told GB News that the plan will ‘involve some big cuts to plans to expand the Navy’ | GB NEWS
Sir Jeremy Hunt has launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister’s Defence Investment Plan, declaring the spending figures a “damp squib” compared to what the country needs.
Speaking to GB News, the former Chancellor criticised Sir Keir Starmer for refusing to “bite the bullet” on welfare reforms by scaling back efforts and spending more on defence instead.
Delivering a speech today, the outgoing Prime Minister detailed the published Defence Investment Plan, declaring it delivers the “decisive action” the country needs.
Keir Starmer boasts his defence plan will be key to ‘more European Nato’ and boost transatlantic alliance
Sir Keir Starmer has boasted his defence plan will be the key to a “more European Nato” and boost the alliance across the Atlantic.
The “special relationship” often lauded between the UK and the US has been under strain ever since the Prime Minister refused to let US bombers launch strikes on Iran from RAF bases.
Still, the Prime Minister has held onto hope for the alliance, saying today: “This plan will benefit our nation because it enables us to strengthen our international leadership and build a more European Nato.
“This is not to the exclusion of the US, but to strengthen the transatlantic alliance, which keeps our country safe. This demands a decisive strengthening of European capabilities.”
Ex-security minister hits out at Keir Starmer’s ‘pointless’ plan as PM ‘won’t be there to keep the promise’
A former security minister has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s “pointless” Defence Investment Plan as the Prime Minister “won’t be there to keep the promise” on spending.
Tom Tugendhat, the Tory MP for Tonbridge, said: “Today’s defence announcement is pointless.
“It is committing money over many years that cannot be guaranteed because the people making the promise won’t be there to keep it.
“You may like Starmer, or you may not, it doesn’t matter. He won’t be making the decision so the effort put into the plan is pointless.”
Keir Starmer leaves ‘solid platform’ for Andy Burnham as leader
The outgoing Prime Minister has insisted that has left a “solid platform” for Andy Burnham to build on as leader in terms of security and defence.
Sir Keir said: “The first duty of any Prime Minister is the defence and security of the country, the first duty, and I think everybody knows that and accepts that.
“What I will now and am doing is to ensure that the transition to a new Prime Minister is orderly, with minimum disruption and that there is a good, solid platform to build on.
“We’ve done that over the two years and I will faithfully do that over the next few weeks.”
However, the Prime Minister refused to say whether Mr Burnham’s team had actually seen the plan at all.
Keir Starmer shrugs off grilling from GB News over lack of spending: ‘There will always be those that argue that even more should be spent’
Sir Keir Starmer has shrugged off a grilling from GB News’s Christopher Hope over his Government lack of spending on defence.
Previously, General Sir Richard Barrons warned that Nato states have “smelt the fear” and boosted their own defence spending, leaving the UK trailing down the table.
He told GB News: “There will always be those that argue that even more should be spent.
“But I have to make the right judgments on the capability that I think is right for our country for our country to meet the threats of not just today but tomorrow and that is what I think this defence investment plan does.”
‘My defence plan makes us ready for war with Russia,’ Keir Starmer promises
Sir Keir Starmer has promised that his defence plan was sufficient to ward off threats from Russia during an increasingly challenging time for geopolitics.
Asked if he could “hand on heart” say that his current plan could support the fight against Moscow if necessary, he firmly responded: “Yes, I can and that is because of the increase in defence spending that we’ve put in place, announced last year, already in place, which was the biggest sustained increase since the 1980s, and the fact that this defence investment plan builds on that.
“And it’s not just the amount of money, it is also the capabilities. We’ve learnt a lot from Ukraine, actually from Iran as well, about the capability that is needed to confront countries like Russia.”
Keir Starmer’s defence spending STILL falls short of Nato target
Sir Keir Starmer’s defence spending has still fallen short of the target put in place by Nato of five per cent.
The Prime Minister said “almost £300billion over the next four years to back our Armed Forces and strengthen our national security”.
“From spending 2.3 per cent of GDP on defence in 2024, we are raising it to 2.7 per cent, putting us on a trajectory to reach three per cent in the next Parliament, which must be the number one priority at the next spending review,” he said.
The plan will hike UK spending to 4.2 per cent in a “huge historic shift for our nation”.
Keir Starmer announces commitment to spend £15billion on Defence Investment Plan
Sir Keir Starmer has announced the commitment to spend £15billion on Defence Investment Plan (Dip).
He previously vowed to spend somewhere between £18billion to £28billion on the scheme which John Healey resigned over earlier this month.
Nevertheless, Sir Keir said: “We are already delivering the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the 1980s, £270bn over the spending review period.
“And I can announce today that under the defence investment plan we are increasing this by an extra £15billion, setting a new record of spending almost £300billion over the next four years to back our Armed Forces and to strengthen our national security.
“Now it’s true to say there’s been a huge focus on the numbers here… Before we came into office, so two years ago, this country spent £54bn a year on defence. We are taking this to almost £80bn a year by 2029.”
Keir Starmer announces ‘hard-edged decisions’ to funnel energy spending towards Britain’s defence
Sir Keir Starmer has announced the energy projects to be cut to funnel further Government spending towards Britain’s defence.
Announcing the plan, the Prime Minister said: “It is funded by reallocating spending from across government departments, reallocating capital budgets by one penny in every pounds whilst still maintaining public investment at the highest sustained levels since the 1970s.
“It means departments making better use of assets like underused land, and it means those departments with the largest capital budgets contributing more.
“Therefore, some capital projects, for example, on roads and energy, which are important but not immediately vital, will no longer go ahead as planned.
“But this is about taking the necessary choices, the right choices, to protect our nation. It is because we have taken these hard-edged decisions that we are able to increase our spending on defence.”
Keir Starmer: ‘I know how worried Britons are about the state of our world’
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that he knows the extent of the worry plaguing Britons about the increasingly complex scale of international relations.
The Prime Minister said: “As Prime Minister, you get to meet people from all walks of life up and down the United Kingdom. And I know how worried they are about the state of our world.
“They see the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East impacting on our stability, driving up the cost of living, and they’re feeling tired at being of the mercy of events beyond our shores.
“We see country that are arming and tensions that are rising, a more dangerous and volatile world than at any time for decades. We see the horrendous human toll of these conflicts, that cuts across our values of justice and sovereignty and that simple British impulse that bullies and dictators cannot be allowed to push people around.”
Rachel Reeves pays tribute to ‘friend’ Keir Starmer as she declares PM’s ‘moral clarity will go down as legacy’
Rachel Reeves has paid tribute to her “friend”, Sir Keir Starmer, as she declared the Prime Minister’s “moral clarity will go down as part of his legacy”.
The Chancellor said: “I want to recognise, Keir, how important you have to been to this work right from the beginning.
“The defence of our country in an age of insecurity has been a defining pillar of his leadership, and his absolute moral clarity in the face of the threats that we face as a nation will go down as part of his legacy.”
Dan Jarvis doubles down on 3.5 per cent defence spending by 2030s
Dan Jarvis has doubled down on Labour’s commitment to handing over 3.5 per cent of GDP on defending Britain by the 2030s.
The Defence Secretary said: “This plan reflects both the realities of future warfare and the principles that have kept us safe for generations.
“We will strengthen our nuclear deterrent and bolster Nato. Now I know that there is more work to do, and we’ve made a commitment to our allies and they did to us, and under this Government that promise will be met.”
Defence Secretary heaps praise onto outgoing Prime Minister’s ‘tough decisions’ to protect Britain
The Defence Secretary has heaped praise onto the outgoing Prime Minister’s “tough decisions” to protect Britain’s future.
Dan Jarvis introduced Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer at the announcement of the Defence Investment Plan this morning.
Mr Jarvis said: “The central purpose of this plan is to get the kit and technology that our Armed Forces need so they can fight and deter now and in the years ahead.
“Credit goes to the Prime Minister and not only for getting us here today. On matters of national security I’ve seen him make tough decisions and always with conviction and assurance.
“Under his leadership, Britain has proved itself a reliable partner and a trusted ally.”
Andy Burnham to back Keir Starmer’s defence plan ahead of transition
Andy Burnham is understood to back Sir Keir Starmer’s defence plan ahead of the Labour leadership hopeful taking over from the Prime Minister.
The wannabe leader previously informed allies that he will splash more on defence than the incumbent Prime Minister.
But sources close to Mr Burnham have told The Telegraph that the Dip was “settled”.
Keir Starmer’s long-awaited defence plan torn apart by Tory frontbencher: ‘Too little, too late!’
Sir Keir Starmer’s delayed Defence Investment Plan has been fiercely criticised by James Cartlidge, as he declared it is “too little, too late”.
Speaking to GB News ahead the long-awaited plan’s publication, the Shadow Defence Secretary said the proposed funding for Britain’s defences was “very disappointing”.
Sir Keir Starmer will reveal the details of the plan today, including a pledge of £5billion to focus on drones and automation.
Despite a negotiated £14.5billion increase, the plan falls short of the £28billion that military chiefs argued was necessary for full “war fighting readiness”.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE.
Jeremy Clarkson says Andy Burnham will be WORSE than Keir Starmer as he speaks out on Labour saga
Jeremy Clarkson has shared his verdict on the future of Labour with Andy Burnham leading the charge to replace Sir Keir Starmer as leader.
The outspoken celeb has openly – and repeatedly – taken aim at Sir Keir Starmer, who is now just weeks away from packing his bags and moving out of No10.
But the Clarkson’s Farm star, who has previously teased that he might throw his hat in the ring to challenge Ed Miliband for his Doncaster North seat, might have similar dismay for Mr Burnham.
Taking to X, Mr Clarkson reacted to a post from one social media user who asked their followers: “Do you think Andy Burnham will be worse than Starmer?”
READ MORE HERE.
Senior minister bats off accusations Keir Starmer’s defence funding plan as ‘laughable’
A senior minister has batted off accusations that Sir Keir Starmer’s Defence Investment Plan (Dip) is enough to keep Britain safe is “laughable”.
“Before the Dip is even published, we are already investing record amounts in defence of our nation £270billion over the course of this Parliament, which is the highest sustained increase in spending since the Cold War,” Mr Murray said.
“The Dip is on top of that. It’s extra investment to go even further, and there’s a real focus on making sure that we’re ready for the wars and for the conflicts of the future, with a focus on drones.
“For instance, £5billion over the next four years to make sure we’ve got that capacity so that we can meet the modern threats that we face as a country and keep our nation safe.”
‘And what do we get in return?!’ James Murray under fire on GB News after handing over pay rises to resident doctors… and leaving the door open to MORE strikes
James Murray has been grilled by GB News after landing a deal with the junior doctors | GB NEWS
James Murray fell under fire on GB News after he settled a deal with resident doctors to calm simmering tensions ahead of a planned walkout by the unions.
The doctors have settled on a 6.6 per cent pay rise but will be allowed to go on strike again next year.
“Well, I think this is good news, not just for resident doctors, but also for all staff working in the NHS and many of whom have been picking up the pressure when strikes have been happening in recent years,” Mr Murray started.
“But most importantly, it’s good news for patients. It’s good news for patients in the NHS because it means that we as a Government, can now work with resident doctors to make the NHS stronger and to make sure we’re doing the best we can to serve patients.”
“So this is, I hope, the start of a new relationship between a Government and resident doctors that we can build on to make the NHS stronger.”
Keir Starmer accused of ‘leaving the cupboard bare’ on Britain’s defences: ‘Damning!’
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “leaving the cupboard bare” on Britain’s defences.
On GB News, the Deputy Editor at Spiked Online Fraser Myers said it was “damning” that Sir Keir failed to meet the needs of defence chiefs as the Prime Minister is set to unveil is long-awaited Defence Investment Plan.
Speaking to GB News, Mr Myers said: “It’s an extraordinary parting shot from the Prime Minister. You’d have thought that he liked to present himself as someone who was on top of foreign affairs, as someone who took defence seriously.
“In fact, he even name-checked defence as one of his great achievements in his resignation speech, and yet he’s leaving the cupboard bare when it comes to defence.”
WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE.
‘Unforgivable!’ Armed Forces left underfunded by billions in Keir Starmer’s parting gift as PM
‘Unforgivable!’ Armed Forces given just half of what they need in Keir Starmer’s parting gift as PM
The Armed Forces will only receive half of the £28billion needed to keep Britain safe under the Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
In one of his final acts as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer will finally reveal the plan on Tuesday and pledge billions of pounds for military equipment, with a £5billion-valued focus on drones and automation.
But its contents is unlikely to cool fears that not enough is being spent on protecting Britain.
Earlier this month, John Healey resigned as Defence Secretary after the Treasury refused to commit the resources needed to defend Britain.
Armed Forces Minister Al Carns then resigned, saying the proposed plan was not “transformative enough” in the face of the growing threat of war.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.