Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir Starmer of leaving a £5bn black hole in the UK's defence investment plan for his successor, as the prime minister faced a double blow over the delayed strategy and a toxic briefing culture in No 10.
At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Badenoch demanded to know whether Andy Burnham – widely expected to replace Starmer as PM on 20 July – had signed off on the funding shortfall. "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," she said.
“Kemi Badenoch accuses Starmer of leaving a £5bn defence black hole for successor Andy Burnham.”
The long-awaited defence plan, unveiled on Tuesday ahead of next week's Nato summit, includes £15bn in new spending by 2030. But Defence Minister Luke Pollard told the BBC that the next chancellor will need to find an extra £4.7bn in this autumn's Budget to fund the proposals. The Treasury has so far identified only £10.3bn in savings, leaving the remainder to be set out in the next financial statement.
Starmer hit back, accusing Badenoch of "faux outrage" and pointing to Conservative cuts to defence when in government. He said the increase was possible thanks to the "headroom" built into the Budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves. But defence chiefs and former ministers John Healey and Al Carns, who resigned in protest, had reportedly demanded £28bn – almost double the announced figure.
The damage extends beyond the spending gap. Defence sources told The Mail on Sunday that the year-long delay to the plan makes it "almost impossible" for the RAF to have a replacement aircraft ready by 2030, raising the prospect of the Red Arrows being grounded for years.
Meanwhile, Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell criticised what she called a "boys club" briefing culture under Starmer, in which female Cabinet ministers were targeted in anonymous briefings to the media. Powell said that culture would change under Burnham, who is expected to succeed Starmer.
Burnham is widely tipped to replace Reeves as chancellor if he becomes PM, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband seen as the front-runner for the crucial role. For now, the prime minister-elect inherits a defence plan that even his own party admits is unfunded – and a No 10 in need of a culture shift.