Shapps dig at Labour on defence promises
GRANT Shapps says Labour should not be “trusted with our nation’s defences” despite Sir Keir Starmer saying his commitment to nuclear weapons is “unshakeable”.
The Defence Secretary said the Labour leader’s previous support for Jeremy Corbyn – who wants to scrap Trident – greatly undermines his backing for the deterrent.
He suggested Sir Keir’s bullish defence talk was an attempt to distract from the Angela Rayner scandal.
Mr Shapps said: “If Sir Keir Starmer cannot show leadership on this issue, how can he be trusted to make a decision on national security?
“How can he be trusted with our nation’s defences after having tried twice to put Jeremy Corbyn in charge of the nation’s armed forces?”
Sir Keir also said he wants to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP “as soon as resources allow”.
Timeline
The Government plans to spend 2.3% of GDP on defence this year.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said he wants the figure to rise to 2.5% “as soon as economic conditions allow”, but neither party has set out a timeline for this to happen.
Last month two ministers – Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Tom Tugendhat – urged the Government to invest in defence at a “much greater pace”.
Sir Keir visited Barrow-inFurness shipyard in Cumbria yesterday where Labour said it would build all four new Dreadnought nuclear submarines.The subs will replace the current ones in the early 2030s at a cost of around £31billion.
Rishi Sunak yesterday launched a plan to help veterans secure high-paid jobs after they leave the armed forces using skills they developed in the military.The Op Prosper scheme will get £2.1million in new funding.