Shropshire MP accuses Burnham of 'hoping for the best' on defence during clash in Commons

A Shropshire MP has accused the Prime Minister of ‘hoping for the best rather than preparing for the worst’ about Britain’s security after failing to commit to an immediate increase in defence spending.

Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, challenged Andy Burnham during a debate on the future direction of the Government.

John Healey, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, had resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s government after the previous prime minister refused to commit to a target of spending three per cent of GDP by 2030.

But this week the Government failed to make the commitment, leading to a thinly veiled attack on the Prime Minister from Labour MP Tan Dhesi, who said ‘vibes alone just isn't going to be enough’ to defend Britain’s interests.

During yesterday’s exchange, Mr Pritchard asked for clarity over the defence budget, saying that over the summer there had been a ‘talking up’ of the Government’s existing commitment to spending 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2035, but little mention about meeting the three per cent target by 2030.

He asked: “Would the Prime Minister like to inform the House and the country, given that his Chancellor, in his previous role as defence secretary, said that this country should prepare to be on a war footing?”

But Mr Burnham failed to commit to the 2030 target in his reply.

He said: “The right honourable gentleman raises a crucial issue that matters greatly to me and to the Chancellor. We will meet all our international commitments, and we will set out how at the spending review.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch responded by proposing cuts to the welfare budget which would allow a future Conservative government to meet the 2030 target.

Speaking after the exchange, Mr Pritchard accused the Prime Minister of ‘kicking the can down the road’ by failing to come up with a plan to tackle immediate threats to security.

“In an increasingly hostile world, where we have seen direct threats to the United Kingdom, and where there have been recent but deniable Russian attacks on British soil, it is no longer acceptable for government ministers to ‘hope for the best rather than preparing for the worst’,” he said.

“The first duty of any prime minister is to protect the United Kingdom. Andy Burnham’s ‘dither and delay’ in not increasing defence spending until the spending review in 2027 is putting the United Kingdom at worrying risk.”