Outgoing Starmer Clashes With Conservatives Over Defense Spending Plan

British opposition leader Kemi Badenoch is hammering the outgoing prime minister, Keir Starmer, over his defense spending plan.Ms. Badenoch confronted Mr. Starmer in parliament on Wednesday, telling him that Andy Burnham, expected to become prime minister in September, will face a budget mess due to unfunded promises.“Labor’s plan is too weak, it is too little, and it is too late,” Ms. Badenooch said.Mr. Starmer announced a 15 billion pound ($19.9 billion) funding boost to transform the armed forces as part of a 5-year 300 billion pound defense budget. The military had requested an increase of 28 billion pounds to achieve “war fighting readiness.”Conservatives say Mr. Starmer is leaving Mr. Burnham with a big problem, especially after a closer look at the figures leave questions about where nearly 5 billion pounds of that money would come from. It would fall on Mr. Burnham to make-up for the shortfall in his budget.When Ms. Badenoch asked Mr. Starmer if Mr. Burnham had been warned about the funding gap, Mr. Starmer only answered, “Any Labor prime minister would stand behind this plan.”Ms. Badenoch said that Mr. Burnham needs to come out and condemn the plan or he would be “complicit.” She said the money must be found to boost defense spending and suggested cutting welfare.“It’s just all talk. What do they actually do?” Mr. Starmer asked of the Conservatives. “They cut defense 2.6 percent down to 2.3 percent in their 14 long years.” Mr. Starmer also said Conservatives increased welfare spending while they were in power.Mr. Starmer’s defense spending plan would increase military spending from 2.6 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product to 2.7 percent by 2030. That is still below the 3.5 percent minimum that NATO members have agreed to meet by 2035. President Trump has pushed members of the alliance to boost military spending, saying they have been relying too heavily on America’s military instead of maintaining their own.The United Kingdom’s military has been in decline for years and the modernization plan calls for an increase in drones and investing in pilotless fighter jets and unmanned submarines. “The very nature of conflict is changing before our eyes,” Mr. Starmer said during a speech at a drone manufacturer near London.The United Kingdom’s defense minister and junior defense minister resigned last month in protest to a lack of military spending. Those resignations helped drive Mr. Starmer’s decision to step down after only two years in power.

Outgoing Starmer Clashes With Conservatives Over Defense Spending Plan

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