Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement that he will is already coming under fire from across the political spectrum.
While Conservative leader welcomed the PM’s plan to fund the spending increase by a major cut to foreign aid, former defence secretary Ben Wallace condemned the announcement as “weak”.
The Tory grandee told the Daily Express the announcement was “a staggering desertion of leadership”.
He also said it was “tone deaf to the dangers of the world and demands of the United States”, adding: “Such a weak commitment to our security and nation puts us all at risk.”
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Ben Wallace slammed Keir Starmer’s announcement (Image: Getty)
Fellow former defence secretary Grant Shapps said that while he welcomes the plan to reach 2.5% defence spending, the Prime Minister must go further.
He suggested that reducing the Civil Service headcount back to pre- levels would free up enough funding to allow the Government to spend 2.8% of GDP on defence by 2027.
Mr Shapps warned: “Security must come first.”
Top Tory Sir Simon Clarke dismissed claims that the PM’s announcement has put Britain on a “war footing”. He compared the new 2.5% target to Poland’s 4.7%, Denmark’s 3% and Lithuania’s 5-6% next year.
The former Cabinet minister argued: “2.5% by 2027 is standing still with more realistic accounting. We need 3% in this Parliament, not the next.
“Today’s announcement feels as though Stanley Baldwin gave it. Wholly inadequate to the nature of the threat.”
Baldwin, prime minister for eight years three different times between the two world wars, was criticised for failing to sufficiently increase defence spending ahead of the conflict with Germany in 1939.
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Keir Starmer is being compared to former PM Stanley Baldwin (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir’s announcement is also coming under fire from the Left over his plan to cut foreign aid.
Labour MP Sarah Champion, who chairs the foreign aid select committee in Parliament, said cutting overseas aid is “deeply short-sighted and doesn’t make anyone safer”.
Ms Champion added: “The deep irony is that development money can prevent wars and is used to patch up the consequences of them. Cutting this support is counterproductive and I urge the Government to rethink.
“Let us remember that in 2023, £250million of ODA [overseas development aid] money went to support – it is not either/or, aid vs defence isn’t a realistic narrative for keeping the world safe.”
Former deputy foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell took to his feet in the Commons to point out that just a few years ago, he and the PM voted against ’s plan to cut foreign aid in order to pay off debt.
Tory Andrew Mitchell has pointed out Starmer previously opposed cuts to foreign aid (Image: Getty)
Mr Mitchell pointed out: “He has choices about how he funds this important uplift. He and I voted together in the last parliament against balancing the books on the backs of the poorest people in the world.”
Asked if he still thinks that vote was right, Sir Keir replied: “I’m proud of that vote at the time and of the work our country’s done on development.
“This is not a decision I want to make and I absolutely want us to get back to more funding on overseas development.”