Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has criticised what she called a missing £5bn in the defence investment plan, saying outgoing prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was leaving a mess for his successor.
The long-awaited plan announced on Tuesday includes £15bn to boost the UK’s defences, but Defence Minister Luke Pollard told the the next chancellor will need to find an extra £4.7bn in this autumn’s Budget to fund the proposals.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Badenoch asked whether Andy Burnham, who is widely expected to take over as PM on 20 July, had agreed to the plan.
Sir Keir accused Badenoch of “faux outrage” and said the Conservatives had reduced defence spending when in government.
Sir Keir unveiled the much-delayed defence investment plan on Tuesday, ahead of next week’s Nato summit, which is set to be one of his final duties as prime minister.
The plan, which is meant to ensure the UK’s forces are ready for future conflicts, will see defence spending increase by £15bn between now and 2030.
But it still falls short of the £28bn reportedly demanded by defence chiefs and former defence ministers John Healey and Al Carns, who resigned in protest over it.
The Treasury has only been able to identify £10.3bn in savings to fund the plan, with the remaining £4.7bn to be set out in the next Budget.
Kemi Badenoch claimed the government was “spending it all on welfare”, adding: “Even the limited plan he [Starmer] has announced has completely unravelled because he hasn’t found the money to pay for it: it’s £5bn short.
“We all know he is leaving this mess to his successor, so can he confirm that the MP for Makerfield [Burnham] has agreed to fund the shortfall?”
She said that, in the past two years, the UK had only increased spending by 0.01% compared to its allies and Sir Keir’s plan “didn’t add up”.
Sir Keir attacked the Tories for cutting defence spending when in power, saying: “I’m proud of this Labour government and any Labour prime minister would stand beside this plan.”
And he said the government had been able to commit to an increase in defence spending thanks to the spare cash – or “headroom” – Chancellor Rachel Reeves had built into her Budget last November.
Burnham is widely expected to replace Reeves as chancellor if he becomes PM, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband seen as the front-runner to step into the crucial role.