Badenoch launches scathing attack on Starmer over £5bn defence gap | Politics | News

Kemi Badenoch has launched a scathing attack on Sir Keir Starmer, accusing him of a “total dereliction of duty” in defending his spending failures.

The Conservative Party leader attacked the Prime Minister for leaving Andy Burnham a “mess” during a House of Commons clash on Wednesday.

He called on the wannabe Prime Minister, who was not in the room at the weekly meeting, to condemn the Defense Investment Plan (DIP), which has a £5bn black hole.

Ms Badenoch told MPs the “scheme was unraveled, it was a complete dereliction of duty”.

He said: “Even the limited plan he announced collapsed completely because he couldn’t find the money to pay for it. He’s £5bn short.”

“We all know he left this mess to his successor. But can he confirm that the member for Makerfield agreed to fund the deficit?”

DIP will see a £15bn increase in defense spending, largely funded by cuts to other ministries’ capital budgets.

But Rachel Reeves’s Treasury has yet to explain how it will fund almost a third of the increase, leaving £4.7bn of funding to be determined in the next Budget.

Sir Keir has repeatedly refused to answer Ms Badenoch’s questions about whether he would leave Mr Burnham to find the money when he becomes Prime Minister in less than three weeks.

Instead, he chose to attack the Conservatives for defense cuts throughout their 14-year rule.

The Labor leader said: “Because of the decisions in the last budget, we have £22bn available. That’s exactly so we can make those kinds of decisions.”

“We did this outside the Budget, outside the spending review, just as we did on special educational needs – outside the Budget, outside the spending review – just as the previous Government did in 2018 when they announced their five-year NHS plan outside the Budget, outside the spending review.”

He added: “Let’s put the fake anger aside, let’s focus on what’s important – the biggest sustainable increase in 45 years, let’s deliver what’s needed to keep the country safe.”

It was revealed on Wednesday that Mr Burnham only learned of the £4.7bn shortfall in the plan to increase defense spending on the day the plan was published. Defense secretary Luke Pollard said he only saw the Treasury breakdown when the defense investment plan was published on Tuesday.

He added: “Downing Street has had a close dialogue with Andy’s team… I understand they are keeping him close to the process and told him so yesterday when the Treasury published the statement and breakdown of financial costs.”

“So I first saw the breakdown of the £15bn when it was published by the Treasury on Tuesday. I understand Downing Street has involved Andy’s team in the process.”

Downing Street has not ruled out cuts to some hospital building programs to meet rising defense spending.

No 10 added that plans for cuts to transport and energy projects would be determined “in the autumn”.

When the Prime Minister’s spokesman was asked whether the Government had a full list of projects to be cancelled, the spokesman simply repeated that plans would be determined by the autumn.

The Prime Minister will meet Kemi Badenoch for the last time at the Dispatch Box on July 15, following his resignation last week.

Sir Keir will attend the NATO summit in Türkiye next Wednesday, meaning David Lammy will clash with a Tory party.

If Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister on July 20 as expected, he will not have to answer to MPs in the House of Commons until September as parliament will be in recess.