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Badenoch: I will cut welfare to hit 3pc target on defence
Number 10 disputes Andy Burnham's claim of committing to the 3% of GDP defence spending target by 2030, as ministers consider welfare cuts to meet the goal.
Conservative politician Badenoch pledged a £10bn annual increase in defence spending today, intensifying political pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham regarding his own spending commitments.
Controversy surrounds Burnham's commitment to 3% of GDP for defence spending by 2030, as Number 10 corrected the record after the Prime Minister told Parliament he had made the pledge.
Fiscal constraints complicate these promises, as borrowing costs have reached an 18-year high, leaving the government to choose between higher taxes or increased borrowing to fund such expenditures.
Badenoch warned Burnham yesterday that being Prime Minister requires leadership rather than being a "people pleaser," asserting that he will be judged on delivery rather than rhetoric.
Critics argue the administration's diagnosis ignores the 13 years of a New Labour government that current ministers served in, complicating the narrative regarding the country's long-term economic trajectory.