Match Tories on defence, ex-Army chief tells Keir

LABOUR will be ‘pilloried’ if they refuse to match Rishi Sunak’s pledge to boost defence spending, a former Army chief warned yesterday. Lord Dannatt said Sir Keir Starmer had ‘no option’ but to follow the Prime Minister’s pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade.

The former Chief of the General Staff also warned that failure to increase investment in defence would risk the United States walking away from Nato. The White House yesterday welcomed Mr Sunak’s decision to boost defence spending by £75billion by 2030, describing Britain as a ‘stalwart ally’.

The Labour leader agreed that more money was needed for defence, but said he would only set out a plan for boosting it if his party wins the next election. In an interview with the BBC, Sir Keir claimed that the Government’s plan to fund much of the extra spending by cutting 72,000 civil service jobs ‘doesn’t stack up’.

Lord Dannatt urged Labour to back the Government’s plan now to provide certainty for the sector and ensure the country is kept safe. The Crossbench peer told GB News: ‘We’re telling our adversaries, particularly the Russians, don’t kick us around, we’re serious about this.

‘But we’re also saying to our allies, Britain’s showing leadership here.’