Andy Burnham rejects Tory plan to fund defence via welfare cuts

During the second Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch challenged Prime Minister Andy Burnham regarding the government's commitment to increasing defence spending. Badenoch questioned whether the government would reach a target of 3% of GDP for defence by 2030, citing urgent national security threats.

Burnham responded by emphasizing the government's commitment to reaching 3.5% of GDP by 2035, as per NATO commitments, with specific targets to be outlined in the upcoming spending review. He rejected the Conservative proposal to fund military increases through welfare cuts, specifically targeting £4 billion from housing benefits and £3.1 billion from the two-child benefit cap.

Burnham argued that such cuts would lead to unprecedented levels of homelessness and instability, stating, “National security ‘can’t come at the expense of social security.’” He maintained that community resilience is a fundamental component of national security and refused to choose between the two.