1st Jul15:01 BSTKeir Starmer defends Defence Investment Plan despite questions over £4.7bn gapStarmer was grilled over a £4.7 billion defence black hole being left for the next prime minister.On Tuesday, the Government finally dropped the Defence Investment Plan, which was a £15bn uplift in defence spending, largely funded by cuts to other department' capital budgets.The Treasury however had not revealed how it will fund almost a third of the increase, leaving £4.7 billion of funding to be set out at the next budget.At PMQs, Starmer defended the Dip and said it had been welcomed by the Chief of Defence Staff, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Air Staff.He also said: "This is the most significant upgrade in defence spending since the 1980s."1st Jul14:32 BSTHow will the Defence Investment Plan be spent?Documents have confirmed £298bn will be invested in defence over the next four years.This investment will "move the UK towards war-fighting readiness, modernising military capability to fight the wars of the future and drive economic growth".The UK nuclear deterrent gets £47bn, including £13bn for warheads, £1.7bn for nuclear fuels and £290million for specialist training on our nuclear submarines.Hundreds of millions will be put into 'robot warfare', forming new squadrons and fleets of unmanned drones to support army and air force fighters and helicopters and warships.Special Forces heroes in the SAS, SBS and Special Reconnaissance Regiment will get millions of pounds in new investment to help them launch covert missions.The £298bn investment is an additional £15bn that the government will spend but it is less than the £28bn reportedly sought by key defence figures.READ THE FULL STORY HERE.1st Jul14:22 BSTCuts to some hospitals have not been ruled out by Government amid defence planDowning Street did not rule out cuts to some hospital building programmes to pay for increased defence spending.Asked whether hospital building projects would be protected from cuts to capital budgets, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Thanks to this Government's record investment in the NHS there will be no impact to funding for frontline services."This will also not affect the timetable for delivery of the seven Raac-affected hospitals which we’ve prioritised or Wave 1 projects of the New Hospital Programme and we still plan to spend more than £15 billion on capital health investment."Asked about other hospital programmes, the spokesman repeated that the cuts would not affect the Raac-affected hospitals or the first wave of the Government’s new hospitals programme.1st Jul14:09 BSTFarage accused of grifting over 'obscene' £2million earnings amid second job ban callNigel Farage has been savaged over his "obscene" outside earnings and accused of grifting as MPs heard second jobs should be banned.The Reform UK leader trousered £270,000 for just 12 hours' work flogging gold bullion, and has declared more than £2million in earnings and gifts since becoming an MP. This is on top of his £98,599 salary as MP for Clacton.Cross-party MPs have voiced their disbelief that this is allowed and called on the government to outlaw second jobs, except in exceptional circumstances.A debate in Parliament heard Mr Farage - who did not show up despite multiple members informing him they intended to mention him - has declared 16 outside sources of income since he was elected in July 2024, totalling 140 days' of paid work.Labour's Richard Burgon, who has put forward legislation demanding a ban, told Westminster Hall: "Being an MP is a privilege, a well-paid privilege. The nearly £100,000-a-year salary places us in the highest 5% of earners in the country. So being an MP should be a full time job."READ THE FULL STORY HERE.Nigel Farage speaking at a conference on June 24(Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)1st Jul13:52 BSTDowning St deflects defence investment plan funding gap questions by declining to 'get ahead of' next budgetDowning Street insisted the defence investment plan was “credible” but declined to “get ahead of” the next budget on questions of a £4.7 billion funding gap.Asked about the funding expected to be set out in the budget, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We have set out a credible plan for funding. The vast majority of this package has already been funded by reprioritising departmental spending with £10.3 billion identified now. We’ve worked with secretaries of state across Government to find savings and reallocations in a way that protects day-to-day spending on frontline services.“The residual amounts to just over £1 billion-a-year for this Parliament which will be set out at the budget in a fair and balanced way. I’m not going to get ahead of that process but we’re taking the responsible decisions now to increase defence spending in response to the growing threats the UK faces.”Starmer speaking at PMQs today(Image: Sky News)1st Jul13:44 BSTEd Davey accuses Government of leaving UK 'vulnerable to missile attack' in Commons speechLiberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey accused the Government of leaving the UK “vulnerable to missile attack” with its defence investment plan, and called for it to issue defence bonds.Speaking in Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Ed said: “Our national security requires the best possible missile defence system, including Royal Navy destroyers, but the funding in his plan for this falls dangerously short. Yet the Prime Minister has rejected our proposals for defence bonds, which were used in the past to rearm our country. So, can the Prime Minister tell us, why has he chosen to leave our country so vulnerable to missile attack?”Responding, Sir Keir said: “Our defence investment plan gives our country what we need to fight now and into the future, the capability that’s been assessed through strategic review.“Bonds, which should be looked at very closely, are simply borrowing by another name, and we are already borrowing in a way which requires us to spend one pound in every 10 on servicing the interest on that, and I would gently point out, before he carries on with any criticism of our plan, that he sat in a Cabinet that cut defence spending by 22%.”Sir Ed replied: “The Prime Minister knows that our defence bonds are within his own fiscal rules, that he has had advice from his own team that he should adopt them, and I hope the Right Honourable Member for Makerfield (Andy Burnham) will listen.”Ed Davey has accused the Government of leaving the UK 'vulnerable to missile attack'(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)1st Jul13:30 BSTTransport and energy cut plans to be set out in Autumn as Downing St seeks £700 million in savingsPlans for cuts to transport and energy projects will be set out “by the autumn”, Downing Street has said.Asked about details of proposed cuts to fund the defence investment plan, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “More detailed plans will be shared by the autumn. As set out yesterday, DfT (Department for Transport) will provide savings of up to £700 million from its road funding."They will consult on reductions to the third road investment strategy, or Ris3, including potential cancellation of the A38 Derby junctions and A46 Newark Bypass schemes, both of which are yet to enter contract and are not as far along as other road schemes.”He added that savings from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero would come “largely” from efficiencies.Asked whether the Government had a complete list of projects that would be cancelled, the spokesman only repeated that plans would be set out by the autumn.The A46 Newark Bypass scheme is among those that could be scrapped by the Government(Image: Lincolnshire Echo)1st Jul13:10 BST'Hillsborough Law should be introduced in full after maternity inquiry', PM saysMichelle Welsh MP, the government's first national maternity adviser, raised the "uncomfortable truthes" raised in two troubling maternity reports at PMQs and called for the Hillsborough Law to be introduced in fullA rapid review by Baroness Valerie Amos found too many women were not "listened to, heard or believed" when dealing with NHS materinty services. A previous review by senior midwife Donna Ockenden found babies and mums faced avoidable harm due to "deeply embedded systemic failures".Starmer, in response to the MP said: "Baroness Amos' findings showed a deeply disturbing picture, deep fragmentation and an overly complex system. Women and families not being listened to, no proper accountability and discrimination is driving inequalities in treament and outcome."We will deliver the change that is needed. We will look at the urgent recommendations and deliver those of Baroness Amos as well as those of Donna Ockenden."The Hillsborough Law would require public officials to tell the truth during inquiries and investigations. Starmer previously pledged to deliver the draft law by April 15 2025, to mark the 36th anniversary of the disaster where 97 Liverpool football fans were killed.Progress was stalled amid concerns over changes which could see the proposed duty of candour disapplied to intelligence agencies including MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.Michelle Welsh MP speaking after the Ockenden Review was publish, in June(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)1st Jul12:50 BSTStarmer tells Reform chairman to 'ask Farage about £5m gift from crypto billionaire' in PMQ digMirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in…Keir Starmer goes on the attack against Nigel Farage over the £5million gift he failed to declare.Reform MP Lee Anderson raises an alleged case of a Pakistani national entering the country illegally a raping a young girl. He asks the PM to agree with his party “that every single illegal migrant coming to this country should be detained, not allowed to claim asylum and then deported?”Mr Starmer said he is proud that Labour has brought down net migration by 82% and that asylum decisions are at record levels, with removals up by 41%.He then turned to Mr Farage, telling Mr Anderson: "He likes to ask questions. He should be asking some questions of the leader of his party sitting next to him. He received £5million from a crypto billionaire and then privately lobbied the Bank of England on digital currencies."So did their leader carry out lobbying, paid? Why did he keep his £5million gift secret? And are they happy with their leader earning £20,000 an hour flogging gold bullion. They need to ask the questions across their benches, but they never do."1st Jul12:46 BSTReform campaigners threatened a British family with deportation, Lib Dem leader tells CommonsMirror Political Correspondent Dave Burke writes in...Reform campaigners threatened a British family of Indian descent with deportation, appalled Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey told the Commons.Sir Ed called on the Prime Minister to condemn racism as he recounted what he had been told.He said: "I have another concern that I think the Prime Minister will share - the rising tide of racist violence and hate that we're seeing in our country, and the way it's being incited and normalized."I was talking to a British friend of Indian ancestry who told me how Reform activists came to her door and said that if they get into power, she and her family will have their passport seized and their citizenship revoked."Does the Prime Minister agree that racism has no place in our country? And will he join me in condemning anyone who is stoking it?"Mr Starmer responded: "This is really important because our politics is becoming more diverse and racism and intolerance is permeating, everywhere. And we have to deal with it, because it's tearing our societies apart. It is keeping good people away from politics because they don't want to be involved in it."He said he had attended a reception in memory of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed a decade ago, and spoke to her parents.The Prime Minister told MPs: "The very sad thing is I was not able to say that in the 10 years since Jo's death things have got better - because sadly they've got worse. That's on us to fix, all of us to fix every single member of this House, whatever their party is. And anybody who flames it should be absolutely ashamed of themselves."1st Jul12:44 BSTUK Government to match public donations for aid to Venezuela up to £2mThe UK Government will match public donations to the Disaster Emergency Committee's appeal to provide humanitarian aid to Venezuela up to £2 million.Speaking at the start of Prime Minister's Questions, Keir Starmer said: "Our thoughts, and I'm sure the thoughts of the whole House, are with the people of Venezuela. The scenes of destruction are simply harrowing."We've committed humanitarian funding, deployed expert search and rescue teams, and I can announce today that we’ll match public donations up to £2 million on aid."This is in addition to the £2 million of initial humanitarian funding support from the UK Government to help Venezuela in the aftermath of two earthquakes last week.1st Jul12:42 BST'Any Labour prime minister would stand behind defence plan', Starmer saysSir Keir Starmer said "any Labour prime minister would stand behind" the defence investment plan.At Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the "plan has unravelled, it is a total dereliction of duty", adding: "Did the member for Makerfield know that he was going to have to find £5 billion for the Prime Minister’s plan?"In his response, the Prime Minister said: "We are in power with record investment in defence and security. I am proud of this Labour Government and any Labour prime minister would stand behind this plan."1st Jul12:30 BSTStarmer defends Dip saying it has been welcomed by defence chiefsKeir Starmer defended the plan and said it had been welcomed by the Chief of Defence Staff, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Air Staff.He added that it would take defence spending to £300 billion over the next four years.Starmer said: "All people who know what is in the plan, and welcome it. Contrast that with their record in government, because they hollowed out the armed forces."1st Jul12:20 BSTStarmer hits back at Badenoch in PMQs clash on defenceMirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in…Kemi Badenoch - as expected - has chosen military spending as her topic to grill the PM on. The Tory leader asks him if Andy Burnham has agreed to fund the £4.7billion shortfall in the defence investment plan.Keir Starmer repeatedly says he will not take any “lectures” from the Tories, who he accuses of hollowing out the armed forces. And he calls on her to drop the “faux outrage” as there is precedent for such decisions to be made outside of a budget or spending review.He tells her: "Because of the decisions at the last budget, we've got headroom of £22billion. That is precisely so we can take decisions like this. We delivered it outside a budget, outside of spending review, just like we did with the special educational needs - outside the budget, outside of spending review."Just like the previous government did, when they announced their five- year NHS plan in 2018, outside a budget, outside a spending review. And what did they say when they were challenged about it? I'll quote: ‘We will be able to explain exactly where every penny is coming from, but we will do that in the budget.’”1st Jul12:14 BST'Let's drop the faux outrage', Starmer tells BadenochKeir Starmer slammed the Conservatives for their lack of spending on defence or welfare.The PM said when he took over the top job from the Tories they had spent £54bn a year on defence but told the Commons "this will rise to £80bn a year".He said "We take no lectures from them on either welfare or defence."Starmer added: "Let's drop the faux outrage and focus on what matters."Badenoch claimed the government was in "this mess" because it "failed to cut" spending on welfare. Starmer hit back and said the Tories had "lost control of the public finances".Starmer speaking at PMQs today(Image: Sky News)1st Jul12:09 BST'Most significant upgrade in defence spending since 80s'The Prime Minister said the Dip was the "largest ever investment to strengthen the UK's nuclear" arsenal.Keir Starmer told the Commons: "This is the most significant upgrade in defence spending since the 1980s."Starmer slammed the Tories for their record while in power, saying: "Their record is cutting defence spending mine is rising it to £300bn and rising."1st Jul11:57 BSTPICTURED: Starmer steps out of No 10 for PMQsKeir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street this morning(Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)The PM heads to Parliament(Image: ANDY RAIN/EPA/Shutterstock)1st Jul11:56 BSTThis could be Starmer's penultimate PMQsStarmer will face the Commons in what is set to be one of his last PMQs as prime minister.The Prime Minister is expected to miss PMQs next week, on July 8, due to the NATO summit in Ankara.If Andy Burnham does not face any challengers for the Labour leadership race he could become PM as early as July 20.1st Jul11:40 BSTHow will the Defence Investment Plan be spent?Documents have confirmed £298bn will be invested in defence over the next four years.This investment will "move the UK towards war-fighting readiness, modernising military capability to fight the wars of the future and drive economic growth".The UK nuclear deterrent gets £47bn, including £13bn for warheads, £1.7bn for nuclear fuels and £290million for specialist training on our nuclear submarines.Hundreds of millions will be put into 'robot warfare', forming new squadrons and fleets of unmanned drones to support army and air force fighters and helicopters and warships.Special Forces heroes in the SAS, SBS and Special Reconnaissance Regiment will get millions of pounds in new investment to help them launch covert missions.The £298bn investment is an additional £15bn that the government will spend but it is less than the £28bn reportedly sought by key defence figures.READ THE FULL STORY HERE.1st Jul11:26 BSTBurnham blindsided by £4.7bn defence black holeMirror Political Correspondent Dave Burke writes in...Andy Burnham and his team were blindsided by the black hole in yesterday's announcement.Figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) revealed that the next PM and Chancellor will need to find £4.7billion in the next Budget. It lines up an awkward dilemma for Mr Burnham if - as expected - he becomes PM this month.Mr Starmer urged his successor not to turn to borrowing. If that advice is heeded, the next government will need to make deep cuts across government departments to find him.This is far from what a new leader would hope to have to face in their opening weeks. Sources close to the Makerfield MP confirmed to The Mirror that Mr Burnham was not told in advance that there would be a shortfall buried in the small print.1st Jul11:08 BST'Conversations need to be had with next PM about funding armed forces', Defence Secretary saysDefence Secretary Dan Jarvis said there would have to be "conversations" with the next PM about funding the armed forcesMr Jarvis also insisted it was not "unreasonable" to set out those plans at a "major fiscal event".This morning, Mr Jarvis said: "I think we made really good progress yesterday with the publication of the plan, and that was helpful because it ended the uncertainty that had been around it."But yes, I will want to do more and go further, and it’s my job, working with the chiefs, to make sure that we secure the resource, the investment that we need into defence to honor the commitments that we have made, which I am absolutely determined that we will keep."I think, though, it is not unreasonable to accept the basic point that when you are committing billions and billions of pounds of investment, that in the normal order of business those kind of commitments are made in the context of a major fiscal event."There will be a spending review next year. I will be making the case for defence. I’m sure that that is a case that will be supported very closely by the Chiefs."Obviously, there will be conversations that will have to be taking place with the person who’s going to be the next prime minister, but fundamentally, my job is to fight hard for defence. That’s what I’ve done for the past two weeks, and that’s what I intend to keep doing."1st Jul10:52 BST'I have assurance Burnham will make defence investment', secretary saysThe Defence Secretary said he had "assurance" that Andy Burnham would ensure investment in defence.During a visit to Cambridge Aerospace, Dan Jarvis told reporters: "I absolutely have the assurance that, as prime minister, Andy Burnham will make sure that we've got the investment coming into defence."That is good for our nation, good for our national security, but it's also good for economic prosperity and its companies and workers in this part of the country that I think will benefit very well from the new investment that we’ve announced."1st Jul10:36 BSTSwinney rejects Burnham's claim Scots feel distant from HolyroodJohn Swinney has rejected Andy Burnham's claim that parts of Scotland feel as distant from Holyrood as they do from Westminster.The First Minister said the Labour MP is not in a "strong position to lecture" him. Swinney also said he does not agree with the idea of creating mayors in Scotland, similar to the role Mr Burnham held before his election to the Commons.Mr Burnham, who looks set to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister this month, has pledged to increase devolution across the UK with plans for a "Number 10 North" to redistribute power.The Makerfield MP said: "Its job will be to make power flow into places like Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Paisley and Easterhouse, not hold it back."In a speech earlier in the week, the former Manchester mayor said people in Dundee and Bangor "feel just as distant from Holyrood and the Senedd as they do from Westminster".Swinney, on Wednesday, said: "I don't agree with them that areas feel distant from Holyrood. The city of Dundee just re-elected SNP members of the Scottish Parliament and the Labour Party got terrible results in the city."I don't really think Andy Burnham is in a strong position to lecture me about all of these questions."I think rather than offering us these polemics, if Andy Burnham is going to become the prime minister, he should have a substantive discussion with the Scottish Government and me about how we empower and strengthen the powers of the Scottish Parliament, and I'll be a willing partner in doing that."John Swinney in the Scottish Parliament(Image: Getty Images)1st Jul10:21 BSTThree questions Starmer will face at PMQs over defence planMirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in with the three questions the PM faces over defence spending…1) Is the £15billion military spending boost enough?Some military voices have warned the £15bn funding for the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) is well below the £28bn defence chiefs had originally requested. They warn the plan does not set out how the UK will hit its target to spend 3% of GDP on defence nor its Nato commitment of 3.5% by 2035.Former Defence Secretary John Healey warned the DIP fell short of what was needed to see off the threat from Vladimir Putin. He said Britain will “still be spending just 2.7 per cent of GDP in 2030, the date when Nato has warned we could face a Russian attack”. Max Warner, a senior research economist at IFS, said the Government needs to set out a path to 3.5% of GDP spent on defence by 2035, which he said will cost around an additional £25billion each year.2) Is the Defence Investment Plan fully funded?In short, no. This leaves a huge headache for Andy Burnham, who is widely expected to take over from Keir Starmer in Downing Street.As journalists trawled over the small print of the DIP on Tuesday, we spotted that £4.7billion - almost a third of the £15bn plan - will need to be funded in the Budget. It is understood that Mr Burnham was not told about the black hole when he was briefed on the plans, which experts said could force him to consider tax rises, more borrowing or spending cuts.Defence minister Luke Pollard this morning said the £4.7bn black hole in the plan was “not unusual”. But Mr Starmer is likely to face some tough questions on the funding of the DIP at PMQs.3) How will the rest of the plan be funded?Keir Starmer is already facing some pushback over his decision to slash some Government spending in order to fund defence.The PM admitted some road and energy projects which “are important but not immediately vital” will be scrapped to support the plan. Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer criticised “uncertainty” over a road project near his constituency following the announcement.Mr Starmer warned his successor - likely Andy Burnham - that defence spending must be a priority in any future spending reviews. But the PM-in-waiting is left with very few options to fill the £4.7bn black hole, with tax rises, spending cuts and borrowing all seen as either too risky or too unpopular.1st Jul09:59 BSTWATCH: Andy Burnham announce 'No 10 of the North' plansAndy Burnham announces 'No10 of the North' in major update on plans for government1st Jul09:47 BSTMichael Heseltine backs Andy Burnham's No 10 NorthAndy Burnham's plan for a "No 10 in the North" is an "important gesture in the right direction", leading devolution proponent Lord Heseltine has said.The Tory grandee, who was the first to call for directly elected mayors in 1991, said it could be "very beneficial" to "our entire economy" if the presumptive next prime minister delivered on the broad vision he set out on Monday.Lord Heseltine backed the proposal of a "No 10 in the North", but suggested that focusing the unit on decentralisation would matter more than its location.Asked about the plans, he said: "The critical thing is to have a Prime Minister who is committed to the devolution agenda, and without that, the various components of power in Whitehall will fragment and resist."Creating a powerful No 10 unit, whether it's in Manchester or in London or anywhere else, is an important gesture in the right direction."Despite this, he warned against proposals to hand local leaders the power to set and retain business rates in their area, which Mr Burnham has reportedly been advised to consider, arguing that differences in revenue at a local level must be balanced out by some intervention from central Government.Heseltine added: "If I was advising Andy Burnham now I'd say look, don't tinker around with local income tax or local rates, get on with the job of generating wealth, and that is basically using capital funds."1st Jul09:34 BSTBurnham reveals how he would help with the cost-of-living crisisAndy Burnham acknowledged taxpayer-funded support would be needed to deal with the cost-of-living pressures facing households.The Makerfield MP, who expected to become PM, set out his vision and plan for the UK.He said: "Ours is a 10-year mission to raise people's living standards. I know people can't wait forever for change.I heard on doorsteps in Makerfield how people need a bit extra now to help with rising costs."I will do my very best to deliver it, and whilst not taking risks with the public finances, will seek to give Britain some breathing space as soon as I can."People need to be able to look forward to a night out or a holiday with the kids. People need hope."Burnham delivers a speech at the People's History Museum in Manchester(Image: AP Photo/Alastair Grant)1st Jul09:11 BSTHow could PMQs today go?Mirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in with her expectations of this week’s PMQs…At PMQs last week, Keir Starmer joked he would miss his exchanges with Kemi Badenoch after the Tory leader bombarded Labour with a barrage of criticism.Ms Badenoch did not hold back on her vicious attacks on Labour MPs and Cabinet ministers, as she targeted senior figures on the frontbench with bitter and harsh jibes. She asked Mr Starmer if he felt he’d been “betrayed” by his MPs and described Labour ministers as “traitors and deserters”.At one point, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle was forced to intervene to remind members to show “respect” to one another.It sparked a tense conversation afterwards when Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Ms Badenoch after the Tory leader branded the Education Secretary a "spiteful class warrior".The PM can expect forceful attacks again this week, with Ms Badenoch likely to seize on the fallout from the defence investment plan. Mr Starmer faces questions after it emerged there is a £4.7billion funding shortfall, which will be left for PM-in-waiting Andy Burnham to fill.Remember when Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves repeatedly criticised a £22billion black hole left behind by the Tories after the 2024 general election? That attack line could come back to bite.1st Jul08:58 BSTBurnham plans to 'rewire' British state and devolve powerAndy Burnham gave his first major speech since Keir Starmer announced his resigation.On Monday, the Makerfield MP, said he will lead a decade-long plan to transform Britain by transferring power out of Whitehall and giving regions more control.Burnham, who is expected to take over as PM, said the Westminster system was "broken" and "as a result, the country isn't where it should be". He added: "It is stuck in a rut, and clearly we can’t go on like this."He dubbed the dubbed the disbursement of power as the No 10 North as the "nerve centre of a rewired Britain" to oversee to devolution of power to mayors and local authorities.Part of this move away from Westminster includes Burnham reportedly intending to still live in Greater Manchester with his family and only staying in Downing Street a few days a week.1st Jul08:39 BSTBurnham 'found out about spending black hole yesterday'Andy Burnham only found out about the £4.7 billion hole in the plan to boost defence spending on the day it was published, the defence minister has suggested.Minister Luke Pollard, speaking on Sky News, said: "Downing Street have a close dialogue with Andy's team … I understand they've been keeping him close to the process, and told him yesterday when the Treasury published the statement and the breakdown of the financial costs."He said he only saw the breakdown from the Treasury himself when the defence investment plan was published on Tuesday.Pollard added: "So I saw the breakdown of the £15 billion for the first time yesterday when it was published by the Treasury, I understand that Downing Street are keeping Andy's team involved with the process."Minister Luke Pollard has been speaking on the Dip (pictured September 2025)(Image: Getty Images)‌