Starmer accused of ‘smoke and mirrors’ over £40bn defence pledge

Keir Starmer savaged over 'smoke and mirrors' move by Penny Mordaunt: 'It's a mess!'

Former Defence Secretary Dame Penny Mordaunt has told GB News that Labour's defence spending plans are a "mess", following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's latest pledge. Ahead of the annual Nato Summit in The Hague, the Labour leader has pledged to meet the new target of five per cent of UK GDP on defence by 2035.Starmer said the pledge enables the UK to "navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility, speed and a clear-eyed sense of th…

Starmer accused of ‘smoke and mirrors’ over £40bn defence pledge

PM will not announce any new money for troops when he sets out plans to meet a Nato target

Higher tax 'inevitable' as PM makes defence spending pledge

Keir Starmer’s fresh commitment to ramp up defence spending to five per cent as a share of GDP by 2035 will almost certainly have to be funded by more tax hikes, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)’ Paul Johnson has warned. The government’s pledge to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence and a further 1.5 per cent in related areas such as infrastructure comes ahead of a Nato summit in the Hague where 32 member countries are expected to agree t…