Andy Burnham has been warned that cash, \u201cnot vibes\u201d, is needed to stop Vladimir Putin amid the growing threat of Russian aggression towards the UK. <\/p>\n
Senior Labour backbencher Tan Singh Dhesi, the chair of the Commons Defence Select Committee, issued the stark warning amid confusion over whether the prime minister will commit to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030. <\/p>\n
In a fiery exchange during Mr Burnham\u2019s first outing in Prime Minister\u2019s Questions \u2013 just hours after the Russian president issued yet another threat against the UK \u2013 Mr Dhesi cautioned the government on failing to front the cash needed to protect the UK.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe British people should be under no illusion that the nation faces a significantly increased threat level, especially from Russia, but also we have a US leadership for whom European security is no longer a focus or priority, and that is why it is imperative that we invest in our armed forces in the here and now, rather than be sorry later.\u201d<\/p>\n
To cheers from Tory MPs, Mr Dhesi added: \u201cIndeed defence is definitely one area where vibes alone just isn\u2019t going to be enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo rather than kick the can down the road waiting for a fiscal event in a future year, will the prime minister urgently commit to charting a pathway to reaching 3 per cent of GDP spend on defence by 2030, which, as his chancellor rightly noted, is critical to keeping our country safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vladimir Putin says it is a \u2018military secret\u2019 whether Russia would target the UK over its continued support for Ukraine (Reuters)Mr Dhesi\u2019s warning comes after the Russian president issued a veiled threat against UK targets over its support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Asked how he would respond to the UK\u2019s decision to provide Kyiv with blueprints for the Scalp weapon, a version of the British Storm Shadow missile \u2013 and whether he is weighing up possible strikes on UK military sites on British territory \u2013 the Russian president said: \u201cThat\u2019s a secret, a military secret.\u201d <\/p>\n
He added that \u201cany military facilities in Ukraine are our legitimate target, British or otherwise\u201d. <\/p>\n
It was the third such warning from Russia in recent weeks, after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said his country had a right to regard the \u201cdirect involvement of British missile forces\u201d as \u201cparticipation in the war, with all the ensuing consequences\u201d.<\/p>\n
During PMQs, the prime minister appeared to suggest he was committed to the 3 per cent defence target, but later Downing Street issued a clarification admitting it was not a commitment.<\/p>\n
Tan Singh Dhesi told Burnham \u2018vibes alone\u2019 won\u2019t work (House of Commons)Mr Burnham said: \u201cI\u2019ve made that commitment very clear, and I have done for a considerable period of time. I was in Ukraine last week for a very specific reason, to repeat it on the world stage there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also think that alongside our commitment to defence we also have to build the resilience of Britain; we need to ensure that the maximum amount of that funding committed to the defence investment plan goes back into the reindustrialisation of our communities, that we do more to maintain sovereign manufacturing and production capability here, and this will be a theme of my government.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking sure that British taxpayers\u2019 money goes into supporting industry in our own country to make us more resilient going into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exchanges came after Mr Burham and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch locked horns over the state of the country\u2019s finances as borrowing went up \u00a312bn as a result of the gilt markets ratcheting up the value of British debt.<\/p>\n
Mr Burnham informed Conservative leader Ms Badenoch that there was \u201cno problem\u201d regarding the party’s defence stance.<\/p>\n
He insisted that he had appointed John Healey as chancellor because of his commitment to defence spending having resigned from Sir Keir Starmer\u2019s government over a shortfall in the military plans, which ultimately contributed to the end of Sir Keir\u2019s time in No 10.<\/p>\n
Kemi Badenoch called on Burnham to cut welfare spending and use the money on the UK\u2019s defence (House of Commons\/UK Parliament)Mr Healey was later named chancellor by Mr Burnham, expected to deliver 3 per cent defence spending by 2030 and 3.5 per cent by 2035. But reports now suggest Mr Healey may back away from his 2030 goal, despite him insisting over the weekend that he is \u201cnot a hypocrite\u201d on the issue in an interview with The Times.<\/p>\n
Proposals in the Defence Investment Plan (Dip) will increase defence spending to 2.7 per cent of GDP by 2027\/28, but there is a lack detail on further rises.<\/p>\n
The Treasury maintains that plans to reach 3 per cent and 3.5 per cent will be outlined at next year’s spending review.<\/p>\n
Mr Burnham assured Mrs Badenoch that he would fully fund the Dip as she urged him to \u201ccut welfare spending and invest that money in our defence\u201d.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cThe honeymoon is over. Isn\u2019t it time for the prime minister to ditch the vibes and get serious about defending our nation?”<\/p>\n
Mr Burnham responded: \u201cThe very reason I appointed this chancellor (Mr Healey) to his position is because of his strong commitment to the defence of our country and to defence spending.<\/p>\n
“We will fully fund the Defence Investment Plan and, at the spending review, we will set out a plan to meet our Nato commitment by 2035. There is no problem with our commitment to defence.”<\/p>\n
Tory shadow armed forces minister Mark Francois said: \u201cThe first duty of government is the defence of the realm and Andy Burnham comprehensively failed that rest today.\u201d<\/p>\n
He warned that Moscow would now see \u201cthe British prime minister as weak on defence\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Andy Burnham has been warned that cash, \u201cnot vibes\u201d, is needed to stop Vladimir Putin amid the growing threat of Russian aggression towards the UK. Senior Labour backbencher Tan Singh Dhesi, the chair of the Commons Defence Select Committee, issued the stark warning amid confusion over whether the prime minister will commit to spending 3 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n