Kemi Badenoch mocked for forces vow after ‘hollowing out Britain’s defences’
Labour Defence Minister Luke Pollard warned Britain would be ‘in a war without a plan’ under the Tories, over their backing of US/Israeli military action in Iran
Kemi Badenoch was skewered over the Tory record(Image: Getty Images)
Kemi Badenoch has been accused of hypocrisy after the Tories “hollowed out Britain’s defences”.
The Tory leader had called for Britain to show allies like the US a willingness to “get our hands dirty” on defence commitments and undertake “the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country’s history”.
In a speech at the London Defence Conference, Ms Badenoch pledged “the largest net increase in British troops under any government since the Second World War” if they return to power, including recruiting 6,000 regular soldiers and 14,000 reservists.
READ MORE: Trump says Hormuz to reopen ‘automatically’ and focus of Iran talks is nukes
However, a Labour Defence Minister has now warned Britain would be “in a war without a plan” under the Tories, over their backing of US/ Israeli military action in Iran. Luke Pollard MP said: “Kemi Badenoch’s message is: the Tories hollowed out Britain’s defences, now put us back in charge. Nobody will take that seriously.
“If she were Prime Minister today, Britain would now be in a war without a plan. She wanted to rush in without thinking about the consequences. That tells you everything you need to know about her judgement on defence and foreign policy. And paying for more troops by plunging children into poverty is not a credible plan.
“ Keir Starmer made the right call in ensuring that Britain would not be drawn into offensive action, while supporting our allies in the region. His Labour Government is delivering the biggest sustained uplift in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, with every pound of our defence uplift delivering for British businesses, British workers and British national security.
Ms Badenoch had criticised the PM ”for Britain’s “lack of readiness” after the breakout of war in the Middle East, saying the UK looked “woefully unprepared” while allies like France and Germany mobilised quickly.
Keir Starmer’s Government has pledged to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on core defence by 2027, rising to 3% in the next parliament. Ministers have previously blamed previous Tory administrations for “hollowing out” the armed forces and say they have inherited years of underinvestment.
Real-terms defence spending varied under the Tories between 2010 and 2024, falling by 22% by 2016/17.
