Burnham Rejects £4 Billion Welfare Cuts to Fund Defence as Badenoch Presses on 3% Target
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 9
Burnham Rejects £4 Billion Welfare Cuts to Fund Defence as Badenoch Presses on 3% Target
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 9
Summary
Andy Burnham told MPs national security "can't come at the expense of social security," rejecting a Conservative proposal to save at least £4 billion from housing benefit to help fund higher defence spending.
Pressed by Kemi Badenoch at PMQs on whether he would reach 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, Burnham said the government would set a date in the spring spending review and still aims for 3.5% by 2035.
Burnham argued welfare costs should fall through Labour measures such as education, youth support and mental health services, warning blunt benefit cuts could drive homelessness and leave hundreds of thousands of children in temporary accommodation.
Badenoch said the threats facing Britain are immediate and accused Burnham of prioritising a ballooning benefits bill over defence, while his team later stressed he remains committed to cutting welfare spending without "crude cuts."
The clash comes as UK benefit spending is forecast to reach £408.6 billion in 2030/31, with ministers also focusing on nearly 1 million young people not in education, employment or training.