Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, on Wednesday accused Sir Keir Starmer of leaving a "mess" for his successor, Andy Burnham, after the government's long-awaited defence investment plan was revealed to be £5bn short. At Prime Minister's Questions, Badenoch pressed the outgoing prime minister on the missing money, asking whether Burnham – widely expected to take over as PM on 20 July – had agreed to fund the gap. Sir Keir responded with accusations of "faux outrage", pointing to the Tories' record of cutting defence spending when in power.
The plan, unveiled by Sir Keir on Tuesday ahead of next week's Nato summit, commits £15bn to increase defence spending by 2030. But Defence Minister Luke Pollard told the BBC that the next chancellor would need to find an extra £4.7bn in this autumn's Budget to fund the proposals. The Treasury has identified only £10.3bn in savings, leaving the remainder to be set out in the next fiscal event. Badenoch claimed the government was "spending it all on welfare" and said Sir Keir's plan "didn't add up". She added: "Even the limited plan he has announced has completely unravelled because he hasn't found the money to pay for it: it's £5bn short."
“Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of leaving a £5bn defence shortfall for successor Andy Burnham.”
The shortfall is far less than the £28bn reportedly demanded by defence chiefs, and the plan prompted the resignation of former defence ministers John Healey and Al Carns in protest. Sir Keir defended the package, saying: "I'm proud of this Labour government and any Labour prime minister would stand beside this plan." He attributed the ability to commit new spending to the "headroom" built into November's Budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves. However, Burnham is expected to replace Reeves as chancellor if he becomes PM, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband the front-runner to step into the crucial role. The next leader will confront crunching trade-offs over how to fill the £4.7bn black hole.