Politics LIVE: John Healey set for major speech as Europe debates make-or-break decision_L
Follow our politics live blog below as John Healey takes questions about the future of UK and European defence amid Donald Trump’s Ukraine chaos.
Defence Secretary John Healey will go public today after days of speculation about the future of UK defence spending and the possibility of sending British troops to Ukraine.
It’s been a number of years since Defence policy was so prominent in the news, and Mr Healey’s speech, interview and Q&A will attract many eyes in Westminster.
Mr Healey will take to the stage at the Institute for Government think tank at 9.30, a day after stories emerged that some government departments may face cuts of as much as 11% to fund a major increase in Britain’s defence capabilities.
Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Sir Keir Starmer is keen to set out a roadmap to 2.5% of GDP on defence, which is more pressing now than ever before in light of Donald Trump‘s demand for Europe to contribute more to the continent’s peace and safety.
The Treasury has told unprotected departments to model cuts of up to 11% as a worst-case-scenario situation in the Spring spending review.
The major intervention also comes as British political leaders debate whether troops should be sent to Ukraine to help keep the peace in the event of an end to the war.
Follow below for live updates…
Rachel Reeves faces £12bn scramble to find extra defence cash
Rachel Reeves will have to find a whopping £12 billion if she wants to boost defence spending up to the target of 2.5% of GDP.
Defence chiefs have warned Sir Keir that 2.5% is now the minimum amount we need to spend just to stand still, while it would cost even more to expand British military capacity.
Ben Zranko, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, says new tax rises are the “most likely path” for Ms Reeves to pursue, given Labour MPs and union backers will passionately resist any cuts in departmental spending to fund the defence increase.
It means Ms Reeves now faces the prospect of having to break her promise not to repeat her first tax hiking budget just six months later.
Reform UK are outliers on troop plan
With Labour, the LibDems and many Tories suggesting they would support British troops going to Ukraine, it leaves Reform UK the only main party out on a limb.
Yesterday the party’s chairman Zia Yusuf tweeted: “Has anyone else noticed that political leaders start to get really keen to send other people’s children to war zones after their domestic poll ratings collapse?”
MP Rupert Lowe said: “MPs posting childish insults from their cosy offices need to consider the gravity of the situation. I don’t suppose they’ll be on the ground – in the mud, in the cold, in the potential firing line.”
“We need to think very carefully about this, because we haven’t in recent past and look what that got us.
“Hundreds of dead British men and women.”
According to polling, Reform UK has the highest number of supporters who would back a cut in the level of British support for the Eastern European country.
However, this still amounts to just one in three Reform UK voters.
Tories don’t rule out backing troops in Ukraine
The Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge has said he “certainly wouldn’t rule out supporting” the PM’s offer of sending British troops to Ukraine.
It comes after former PM Rishi Sunak warmly welcomed Sir Keir’s bold plan, alongside the leader of the LibDems Sir Ed Davey.
Speaking on Sky News this morning Mr Cartlidge said that while it remains a “hypothetical” situation, “there’s a very strong parliamentary consensus about the need to support Ukraine. So clearly we intend to keep doing that.”
However he warned: “It’s a pretty big step to go from supplying weapons to actually having our people there.”
