Current location:opinions >>
Labour refuses to commit to matching Rishi Sunak's defence spending pledge of 2.5% of GDP by 2030
opinions555People have gathered around
IntroductionLabour came under fire yesterday for refusing to commit to match the Government's plans to spend 2.5 ...
Labour came under fire yesterday for refusing to commit to match the Government's plans to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps questioned why Sir Keir Starmer would not back the plan, revealed by the Prime Minister this week, despite claiming his 'changed' party would 'never shut its eyes to the threats our country faces'.
John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, said he shared the Government's 'ambition' to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent but claimed the timeline set out was not fully funded.
And Emily Thornberry, the shadow attorney general, said Labour would only raise spending to 2.5 per cent 'when circumstances allow'.
She said: 'You wouldn't expect me to come on and say that we could spend £75 billion by 2030 without having a plan as to where we were going to get the money from.'
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps questioned why Sir Keir Starmer would not back the plan
On Tuesday, Rishi Sunak promised to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030, spending more than £75 billion extra on defence over the next six years compared with current levels
On Tuesday, Rishi Sunak promised to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030, spending more than £75 billion extra on defence over the next six years compared with current levels.
It was a victory for the Mail's Don't Leave Britain Defenceless campaign, launched after there was no new defence cash in last month's Budget. The commitment will be funded by slashing 72,000 civil service jobs — and Mr Shapps said he wanted 'people on the front line, not in the offices'.
Labour has promised to conduct a strategic defence and security review in its first year in office to assess the resources required to meet the threats facing the UK.
In the Commons, Mr Healey accused the Government of producing a 'fake figure' of £75 billion as he questioned how the increase in defence spending will be funded.
'If this 2030 plan had been in a budget, it would have been independently checked, openly costed, and fully funded,' he told MPs. 'So where is the additional money coming from? How much from which other R&D (research and development) budgets? How much from cutting how many civil servants in which departments?'
But Mr Shapps accused the shadow defence secretary of spending 'all his time explaining-or rather, avoiding explaining-why Labour is not backing 2.5 per cent, which has a schedule, a timescale and figures that have been published'.
Labour has promised to conduct a strategic defence and security review in its first year in office to assess the resources required to meet the threats facing the UK
'It is no good for him and the Leader of the Opposition to go up to Barrow and to claim that they are all in favour now of the nuclear defence, because they stood on a platform with a leader who wanted to scrap Trident, pull us out of NATO, and turn the army into a peace corps,' he added.
Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, meanwhile, accused Labour of refusing to back the plan, adding: 'Instead, they want to spend years holding a review as the world gets more dangerous while refusing to act to keep the British people safe.
'This is the same old Labour Party that sent our Armed Forces into battle with appalling equipment. The idea they can be trusted on defence – only a few years after trying to put Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street – is absurd.'
A fortnight ago, Sir Keir – in an article for the Daily Mail – insisted his party is now 'utterly committed to our nation's defences'. He described his commitment to Nato and the UK's nuclear deterrent as 'unshakeable'.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“International Intrigue news portal”。http://www.ipdilemma.com/cleaning-equipment-ranking/
Related articles
Alice Evans admits she 'didn't react well' when her 'life was uprooted' by acrimonious split from ex
opinionsAlice Evans has admitted she 'didn't react well' when her 'life was uprooted' after her split from e ...
【opinions】
Read moreCainiao, JD, SF among logistics firms on global march
opinionsChinese logistics companies are ramping up efforts to boost delivery efficiency for cross-border par ...
【opinions】
Read moreHuawei launches HarmonyOS 2 for smartphones
opinionsScreenshot taken on June 2, 2021 shows the online launch ceremony of Huawei's operating system Harmo ...
【opinions】
Read more
Popular articles
- Woman, 43, accused of murdering her disabled mother
- Haier's dishwasher factory put into production in Chongqing
- China State Shipbuilding Corp wins world's first ammonia
- Xi's Article on Advancing Chinese Modernization to Be Published
- Seattle Kraken move games to over
- China registers 415 million motor vehicles, 500 million drivers
Latest articles
Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah looks to finish historic season unbeaten and with more trophies
Tourism industry hits record highs over Spring Festival holiday
Mainland a hot holiday attraction for HK tourists
Innovative former livestreamer assembles striking pieces of electronics art
Warning over surge in imported malaria in Britain as cases of deadly mosquito
Tencent's AI technology to find pulsars 'FASTER'
LINKS
- 'Nobody should live like this'
- Strong winds linger after storm blows through much of country
- Police call Interpol, ask public to help identify clothes on woman found dead in Gulf Harbour
- New operators of Tūroa Ski Field reveal discounts for former life
- US Senators Express Concern Over North Korea
- The tall man in a van taking the plunge around Aotearoa
- David Seymour denies overstepping with attack on TVNZ journalist
- Watch live: PM Christopher Luxon talks to media in Auckland
- New Auckland surgical building cannot open due to lack of staff
- Person found dead after house fire in Whitianga