Starmer unveils UK defence investment plan as succession over funding sparks concerns

Keir Starmer has left Andy Burnham with a £5 billion funding headache.Andy Burnham has been left stunned after it Keir Starmer handed him a £5 billion black hole in the government’s defence spending plans.The PM-in-waiting was briefed in advance of the publication of the government’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) on Tuesday.It set out plans to boost the defence budget by an additional £15bn by the end of the decade.But in a written statement to parliament, chancellor Rachel Reeves said only two-thirds of that sum – £10.3 billion – had been identified, while the remaining £4.7 billion would be “confirmed at Budget 2026, in a fair and balanced way”.With Burnham set to take over as prime minister on July 20, that means he and whoever he chooses to succeed Reeves at the Treasury will be tasked with finding the cash to fund the gap.Sources close to Burnham confirmed the announcement of the funding gap had “come as a surprise” to him and his team.Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Minister Criticises Spending Cuts To Pay For Defence Boost In Another Blow For StarmerStarmer Warns Andy Burnham Not To Rip Up His Defence Spending Plans When He Becomes PMDefence Spending Plan Is Not Enough Keep The UK Safe, Says Former Army Chief

Andy Burnham will take over from Keir Starmer next month.Keir Starmer has warned Andy Burnham not to rip up his defence spending plans when he becomes prime minister.The outgoing prime minister was speaking as he unveiled the government’s long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) just three weeks before he leaves No.10 for good.He announced that an extra £15 billion will be spent on defence by 2030, taking the total to £298bn.That is £1.5bn more than the amount John Healey was promised, prompting him to resign as defence secretary earlier this month.But it is still well short of the £28bn that defence chiefs say is needed to meet the needs of Britain’s armed forces.Burnham is expected to replace Starmer as Labour leader on July 17, and formally become prime minister three days later.There has been speculation that he will want to look again at the DIP – but Starmer said that would be a bad idea.He said: “I don’t think anybody would argue that the Strategic Defence Review was needed because any prime minister will want to know what are the capabilities I have at my disposal now and what are the capabilities I’m going to need in the future.“The Defence Investment Plan builds on that by setting out what those capabilities will be and how they’re going to be costed.“That is something that any Labour prime minister would want to stand behind. It’s a platform that any Labour prime minister would want to stand on, because the first duty of any prime minister is the defence and security of the country.“I think everybody knows that and accepts that.” The PM also rejected calls for the issuing of so-called “defence bonds” to borrow more cash for the armed forces, an idea that Burnham has previously supported.Earlier today, one of the co-authors of the Strategic Defence Review warned that the government had not come up with enough cash for the armed forces to keep the country safe.General Sir Richard Barrons said: “In order to defend the UK sufficiently well, sufficiently quickly, more has to be done sooner and that requires more money than is currently on the table.”He added: “We’re not keeping up with our allies, we’re certainly not keeping up with our enemies, and we know that the US is not going to come and save European security in the face of a Russian threat.“So until we come to terms with the fact that we have to find more money for defence, and yes it will be at the expense of other things we like more, we are simply not going to be ready to defend this country properly.”Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Analysis: Andy Burnham's Big Speech Left Big Questions He Refused To AnswerWhat Do We Know About Andy Burnham's 10-Year Mission For Government?Burnham Vows 'Biggest Change To Way Country Is Run' As He Sets Out His Vision For Britain

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was confident his likely successor, Andy Burnham, would maintain the UK’s commitment to defense, as he laid out plans to invest £15 billion ($20 billion) to modernize the British military.

Keir Starmer commits at least £1bn more for UK defence  Financial TimesStarmer adds £1bn ‘drop in the ocean’ to defence investment plan  The TelegraphOfficials will lobby Burnham to revive ‘war bonds’ idea to pay for higher defence spending  The GuardianStarmer ‘dragging heels’ on defence spending rise  The TimesNATO needs to see a credible trajectory for when the UK will be ready for war - and that is no longer in Sir Keir's gift  Sky News

Andy Burnham: I’ll boost spending on defence  The TelegraphPM to push ahead with controversial defence plan despite resignation  BBCKeir Starmer risks clash with Andy Burnham over defence funding plan  Financial TimesLabour succession fight engulfs UK defense spending plan  politico.euThe War Room newsletter: The defence row behind Starmergeddon  The Economist

Starmer is determined to embarrass Britain in front of all of Nato  The TelegraphPM to push ahead with controversial defence plan despite resignation  BBCAndy Burnham: I’ll boost spending on defence  The TelegraphKeir Starmer risks clash with Andy Burnham over defence funding plan  Financial TimesLabour succession fight engulfs UK defense spending plan  politico.eu