Camilla Tominey challenged Wes Streeting over his earlier vow to resign if Labour failed to meet its defence spending commitments.
The Defence Secretary insisted his party was increasing funding for the armed forces, but plans to meet Nato spending targets have been hit with yet another delay.
Chancellor John Healey has failed to set out plans to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2035 in his October 28 budget.
It was expected in an early 2027 spending review. However, that date is now expected to be pushed back to late next year to align with a future Budget.
After becoming Andy Burnham’s Defence Secretary in July, Camilla asked Mr Streeting if he would take the same apparently principled approach as his predecessor.
She asked at the time: “John Healey resigned because the Treasury didn’t stump up enough defence spending. If John Healey, now as Chancellor, doesn’t stump up enough defence spending, will you resign?”
“Absolutely. Because I believe that we need to invest more in our defence, but I also know the Chancellor and the Prime Minister share that commitment,” the newly minted Defence Secretary insisted.
Three months later, Camilla challenged the cabinet minister to follow through on his pledge.
Camilla Tominey has challenged Wes Streeting over his vow to resign if Labour failed to meet its defence targets
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“I put this to you, Mr Streeting, because you’re not going to get to 3 per cent of GDP, are you?
“In fact, the government’s own figures suggest you will only get to 2.7% by the end of this Parliament. So where’s your P45?”
Mr Streeting responded: “We generated between us a whole bunch of front pages threatening my resignation, which wasn’t quite how I expected to get off to a great start as Defence Secretary.
“Let me just reassure you and your viewers that this government is increasing defence spending.
In July, the then-minted Defence Secretary said he would quit if the commitments were not met
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“We’ve already seen it increasing at the highest sustained level since the end of the Cold War. There will be more to do at the budget and more to come at the spending review.
“So, hold off on drafting that P45 for me for now, Camilla,” he quipped.
Camilla jumped in, challenging the Defence Minister on pledges to meet security funding targets by 2030 and the apparent further delay to the spending review.
“You’ve actually moved away from the 2030 target altogether, which is why John Healy resigned. So, on that basis, you should probably resign too,” she exclaimed.
“Firstly, the 3.5 per cent of GDP commitment is a Nato commitment for 2035. John Healy is committed to setting out the path to 3.5 per cent, including when we will hit 3 per cent in next year’s spending review,” Mr Streeting hit back.
Addressing the latest delay, the Defence Secretary said: “I’m not sure how it could have been delayed when the date has never been announced and won’t be announced just yet.
“I know where my bread’s buttered, and I’m not going to get ahead of him by suggesting when he should hold his spending review,” he stressed.
Mr Streeting then sought to justify the Labour government’s seemingly glacial pace of defence investment.
Wes Streeting insisted Labour was dedicated to funding defence
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“When the Chancellor makes spending commitments, he also needs to show where the money is coming from.
“If he pledges a commitment to 3 per cent without showing where the money comes from, the markets price in that risk.
“Borrowing costs go up, and the one in 10 pounds that we are already spending of taxpayers’ money on just on servicing debt interest becomes more expensive and makes the job on defence spending and everything else harder.
“So it is worth it. It is worth me taking a few difficult media rounds like this where you ask me to set it out,” the Defence Secretary said.