Kemi Badenoch launches deceptive assault over defence spending in her first PMQs
Kemi Badenoch used her first PMQs session to launch a misleading attack on the Government over defence spending.
The new Tory leader, who took charge of the warring party at the weekend, told MPs there was nothing in last week’s Budget on defence spending. In fact Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced an additional £2.9billion for the Ministry of Defence and said the Government would “set a path” to spending 2.5% of GDP on defending the country.
Ms Badenoch told the Commons: “His Chancellor’s Budget did not even mention defence. The Chancellor’s budget last week was a copy and paste of Bidenomics. It turns out that a high spending, high borrowing, high inflation approach is less popular than she may have thought.”
The PM shot back: “The one thing I learned as leader of the opposition it is a good idea to listen to what the Government is actually saying. I think she said defence wasn’t mentioned in the Budget.
“It was seven days ago and it is absolutely clear and central to the Budget.” He said that the Government is committed to bringing defence spending to 2.5% – and pointed out that the last time this was achieved was under the last Labour government.
The PM said: “I believe there is no more important duty than keeping the people of this country safe. It’s the Labour Government that signed the NATO treaty in the first place. We are strong supporters.
“We have a strategic defence review, we are committed to 2.5%. The last time, 2.5 was met was under the last Labour. In 14 years they never did it once.”
He went on to point out that the National Audit Office (NAO) had last year discovered a £17billion black hole in MOD finances. Mr Starmer went on: “The former Defence Secretary said that the previous government hollowed out the armed forces and the plan they put forward before the election was pure fantasy.”
It comes a week after Ms Reeves delivered her first Budget address since the General Election. She told MPs: “There is no more important job for government than to keep our country safe, and we are conducting a Strategic Defence Review to be published next year.
“And as set out in our manifesto, we will set a path to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence at a future fiscal event. Today, I am announcing a total increase to the Ministry of Defence’s Budget of £2.9bn next year, ensuring the UK comfortably exceeds our NATO commitments and providing guaranteed military support to Ukraine of £3bn per year, for as long as it takes.”
And she went on: “Last week, alongside my Right Honourable Friend the Defence Secretary, I announced, in addition to this, further support to Ukraine – on top of our NATO commitment through our £2.26bn contribution to the G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration agreement” This money will be repaid “from immobilised Russian sovereign assets”, the Chancellor said.
