Keir Starmer Refuses to Rule Out Tax Hikes to Fund Defence Spending
The Defence Investment Plan was delayed since last autumn as ministers consider cuts to raise £6 billion for military spending, officials said.
- Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is weighing £6bn in capital spending cuts across government departments to fund his long-delayed Defence Investment Plan ahead of the July 7 Nato summit.
- The Defence Investment Plan, originally slated for release last autumn, remains unpublished despite mounting pressure to boost national security as defence insiders argue the scheme is essential to address inherited funding gaps.
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Starmer are reportedly arguing for a £15bn package, far short of the £28bn defence officials have called for, while Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy indicated he would accept cuts to his justice budget.
- Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch challenged Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, accusing him of dithering and refusing to rule out tax hikes, claiming reluctance to cut welfare leaves national security vulnerable.
- Independent assessors warn that capital budget cuts could threaten major infrastructure projects including hospitals and rail lines already rated amber or red, with critics arguing delays risk long-term national productivity and delivery timelines.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The irony of Keir Starmer’s plan to fund defence
Where could the government possibly find the money to fund its defence investment plan (DIP)? That question has been the major factor behind the extraordinary delay in publishing it – and we now seem to have an answer, if not the plan itself. That answer is precisely the kind of thing that Keir Starmer and his Labour comrades would have railed against when in opposition: cutting capital spending. Around £6 billion-worth of projects are reportedl…
Keir Starmer to slash Net Zero spending to bolster Britain's defence
Sir Keir Starmer is set to slash Net Zero spending in order to bolster Britain's defences ahead of next month's crunch Nato summit in Ankara.Downing Street is said to have sidestepped the Treasury and told civil servants to find savings of at least one per cent in their capital spending plans that fund investment in infrastructure projects over the next four years.Sir Keir is understood to have pushed for increased defence spending of about £18b…
Keir Starmer to slash Net Zero spending to bolster Britain’s defence
Sir Keir Starmer is set to slash Net Zero spending in order to bolster Britain’s defences ahead of next month’s crunch Nato summit in Ankara. Downing Street is said to have sidestepped the Treasury and told civil servants to find savings of at least one per cent in their capital spending plans that fund investment in infrastructure projects over the next four years. Sir Keir is understood to have pushed for increased defence spending of about £…
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