Andy Burnham fails to commit to Healey’s 3 per cent defence spending demand
Andy Burnham’s failure to meet new chancellor John Healey’s demands to increase defense spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030 has raised questions about how quickly he will fund the British military.
Mr Healey left his post as defense secretary in June, saying the defense investment plan did not provide enough money to future-proof the armed forces and keep Britain safe, and criticized the then prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, for failing to set a realistic timetable for Britain’s obligations to NATO to increase defense spending.
Defense spending was expected to rise to 2.7 per cent of GDP by 2030 but Mr Healey argued it should instead rise to 3 per cent by then. When asked about Mr Healey’s previous demands, the prime minister’s official spokesman stopped short of accommodating them.
He told reporters: “As the Prime Minister said yesterday, we will honor our commitments to our international partners on defense and, as I said, we will go further on defense in due course.
“He told the NATO secretary-general that the appointment of John Healey as chancellor was a signal of his intention.”
Mr Healey has also previously indicated that he would consider using debt specifically allocated to the military as “defence bonds” to help increase its financial resources.
But Mr Burnham’s government does not appear to see this as a solution to meeting higher defense spending.
On Tuesday, new defense minister Wes Streeting signaled that spending could rise faster under the new government, but he too fell short of the 3 percent target.
Speaking alongside his Japanese, Italian and Canadian counterparts at his first press conference in office, Mr Streeting vowed to “stick to” the UK’s international commitments, citing the UK’s pledge to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defense by 2035.
He said he believed the Ministry of Defense had a “firm friend” in Mr Healey.
“My focus is on maximizing our deterrence and ensuring that we are ready to fight and win alongside our allies if our deterrence fails,” Mr Streeting said.
“This means re-industrialising and increasing our manufacturing capacity so we can give our armed forces the equipment they need, while also building and buying British so we can deliver good jobs to communities up and down our country.
“It also means pushing the boundaries of innovation in defense, just as we do today, and it means keeping our people at the heart of defence.”
Asked whether he was hinting at tax increases for increased defense spending, Mr Streeting did not answer directly and spoke of how social justice and boosting Britain’s national security could “go together”.
He added: “As for future financial events, it is the Chancellor’s job to make announcements on these matters but I certainly feel we have a firm friend in Her Majesty’s Treasury.”
