See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR and DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR and JASON GROVES, POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 13:47 BST, 2 September 2026 | Updated: 17:47 BST, 2 September 2026
Labour's defence spending policy appeared all at sea tonight after Downing Street rowed back from a public commitment made by Andy Burnham to hit a key target to boost the UK Armed Forces.Mr Burnham used his first Prime Minister's Questions since taking office to insist he is 'committed' to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030.The PM appeared to go further than previously in setting a deadline for the boost as he was grilled in the Commons by Defence Committee chairman Tan Singh Dhesi. Labour MP Mr Dhesi voiced concern about signs of backsliding from the goal and warned the new PM that 'vibes' are not enough when it comes to the security of the nation. 'So 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?' the MP asked.Mr Burnham replied: 'I've 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.'However, the statement seemed to go further than the Government's existing position, which has been careful to avoid giving a timetable for the increased spending. And hours later sources confirmed that the PM's position on the target was 'unchanged' from his previous refusal to say one way or another. Andy Burnham appeared to go further than previously in setting a deadline for the boost as he was grilled in the Commons The chairman of the Defence Select Committee, Labour MP Tan Singh Dhesi, voiced concern about signs of backsliding from the goalChancellor John Healey has said a path will not be set out at the Budget next month, instead waiting until next year's spending review. Mr Healey resigned as Keir Starmer's defence secretary partly in protest at the refusal to lay out a schedule for reaching 3 per cent, and then the Nato target of 3.5 per cent by 2035. Plans set out in the Defence Investment Plan (Dip) will see spending rise to 2.7 per cent of GDP by 2027-28.Mr Burnham told Mrs Badenoch at Prime Minister's Questions that he would fully fund the Dip.She had pressed him to 'cut welfare spending and invest that money in our defence'.She continued: 'The honeymoon is over. Isn't it time for the Prime Minister to ditch the vibes and get serious about defending our nation?'Mr Burnham replied: 'The 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.'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.'
