LABOUR DEFENCE 'RISK'
Labour will leave Armed Forces unprotected by dithering over military spending, warns former Defence Sec Ben Wallace
Fears are growing defence projects will be cut
LABOUR will leave the Armed Forces unprotected by refusing to say when they will hike military spending, former Tory Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned.
Mr Wallace hit out at Sir Keir Starmer for not revealing when it will rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
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He told Times Radio: “If he doesn’t set out a timeline for 2.5 per cent of GDP, he will leave us unprepared and our men and women of the Armed Forces unprotected.”
Mr Wallace, who wants cash cut from benefits to boost defence, added: “He will put at risk tens of thousands of British jobs.
“He’ll also put at risk the safety and security of this country.”
Fears are growing defence projects will be cut to try to plug what Labour say is a £22billion budget blackhole.
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In April, Rishi Sunak unveiled a plan to raise the annual armed forces cash to £87billion by 2030 - a £23billion hike on the then-current budget.
He hailed the “biggest strengthening of national defence in a generation” to combat a new axis of evil comprising Russia, Iran and China.
The announcement came after Rishi pledged an extra £500 million in military aid for Ukraine and warned Vladimir Putin "will not stop at the Polish border" unless he is defeated.
Speaking after crunch security talks in Poland, Mr Sunak said: “In a world that is the most dangerous it has been since the end of the Cold War, we cannot be complacent.
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“As our adversaries align, we must do more to defend our country, our interests, and our values.”
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