Badenoch accuses Burnham of ‘fiddling’ while Putin threatens to burn Europe
Conservatives say capping housing benefit could raise £4 billion for defence as military chiefs warn Britain faces rising Russian threats.
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch proposed raising defense spending to 3% of GDP by 2030, suggesting the government fund the increase by capping housing benefits to save £4 billion.
- Admiral Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, warned Britain's military is in "quite a parlous state," citing "grey zone" threats from Russia including cyber attacks and drones.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham rejected the proposal, stating national security cannot "come at the expense of social security," while Downing Street insisted it would not pursue "crude cuts."
- Official government plans budget to raise defense spending to 2.7% of GDP by 2027-28, while the Foreign Office emphasized actions including sanctioning the GRU and expelling intelligence officers.
- Former chief of the general staff Lord Dannatt urged the Chancellor to set a path to 3.5% of GDP, aligning with broader NATO commitments to reach that figure by 2035.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Evening Standard
Badenoch accuses Burnham of ‘fiddling’ while Putin threatens to burn Europe
The Tory leader has urged the Prime Minister to cut welfare spending to fund defence.
Andy Burnham accused of sending 'dangerous message' to Vladimir Putin as Russia 'threatens to burn Europe'
Andy Burnham has been accused of sending a "dangerous message" to Vladimir Putin by refusing to cut welfare spending to fund defence.Kemi Badenoch delivered a scathing indictment of the Prime Minister's approach to Britain's defence spending amid fears the Russian President is eyeing up ramping up his war across Europe. “Our Government is fiddling while Europe is at risk of burning," the Tory leader fumed. "In France and Poland, leaders are taki…
Putin threatens Europe with retaliation, accuses Kyiv of being unwilling to negotiate, calls strengthening nuclear triad priority
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin stated that Russia will respond to the actions of European countries which, according to him, are preparing for war with Russia, and also accused the Ukrainian authorities of allegedly being unwilling to resume negotiations.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 37% of the sources lean Left, 36% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
