Keir Starmer forced on back foot at PMQs over ‘weak’ defence plan

Keir Starmer was forced on the defensive in the Commons over his long-delayed defence investment plan announced this week, which critics argue leaves his successor as prime minister, expected to be Andy Burnham, with an extra £4.7bn to find in his first budget.Starmer defended his £298bn defence investment plan (Dip) at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday despite a growing backlash from insiders in Burnham’s team and from ministers and MPs resentful over cuts to key transport infrastructure projects to fund it.Overall, defence spending will rise from 2.6% of GDP in 2027 to 2.7%, or nearly £80bn, by 2030. Starmer said that would put the UK “on a trajectory” to hit 3% in the next parliament, although it remains well below a Nato target of 3.5% by 2035.Last year, under pressure from Donald Trump, Starmer and other Nato leaders committed to raising defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035. According to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Dip does not lay out a plan to get there.One Burnham ally likened the plan to an “unexploded bomb”. The Guardian understands the Makerfield MP was not told about the funding gap when he was briefed on the announcement.At what could be Starmer’s penultimate PMQs, Kemi Badenoch accused him of producing an insufficient plan. “It is not right, and it is not fair, certainly not to our troops who put their lives on the line for all of us every single day,” she said.Calling on the Labour government to cut welfare spending to pay for defence, she said: “Even the limited plan that he has announced has completely unravelled because he hasn’t found the money to pay for it. It is £5bn short. We all know that he is leaving this mess to his successor.”She added: “The fact is, Labour’s plan is too weak, it is too little and it is too late. If his successor doesn’t want to be complicit in this failure, he should come out and condemn this plan.”Starmer accused the Conservative leader of “faux outrage” and the Tories of cutting defence and increasing welfare spending by £88bn while in power. He said his government had found £15bn more for defence outside a budget and outside a spending review.“They cut defence by 2.5% down to 2.3% in their 14 long years,” Starmer said. “And what [did they] do on welfare? They put the bill up by £88bn. So no lectures from them.”He added: “That’s about £1bn a year over four years. Because of the decisions at the last budget, we’ve got headroom of £22bn. That is precisely so we can take decisions like this.”Starmer dodged a question from Badenoch about whether Burnham had known of the £5bn black hole. “We’ve made record investment in defence and security,” he argued. “I’m proud of this Labour government and any Labour prime minister would stand behind this plan.”