'They have become addicted to welfare': Burnham prioritising benefits over the defence of the country, Kemi Badenoch tells LBC
Kemi Badenoch told LBC that the defence of the country must sometimes take priority over benefit payments
Kemi Badenoch has accused Andy Burnham of putting welfare ahead of national security, saying Labour has become "addicted to welfare" as ministers face pressure over defence spending.
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The Conservative leader told LBC that the defence of the country must sometimes take priority over benefit payments, after the Prime Minister said national security should not come at the expense of social security.
“I couldn’t believe he’d said it,” Mrs Badenoch told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast when asked about the comments made during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
“Defence of the country is more important than paying benefits. He’s basically saying benefits are more important.”
Former PM Sir Keir Starmer has announced an extra £15bn for defence over four years, including £5bn for drones and autonomous weapons. But military chiefs had said £28bn was needed to modernise Britain’s armed forces and keep the country secure.
Mrs Badenoch said: “This is why I say they’re not the Labour Party anymore; they’re the welfare party. They have become addicted to welfare.
“We need to wean the country off welfare, not feed this addiction.”
She said the Conservatives would aim to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030, claiming the money could be found through changes to welfare, net-zero spending and the National Wealth Fund.
“We have said that we are taking the money from the welfare budget,” she said.
“There’s a £10 billion shortfall, and I have said that that will come from capping the local housing allowance and reinstating the two-child benefit cap.”
Mrs Badenoch also said the UK had entered a more dangerous period, arguing that previous Conservative governments had not anticipated the deterioration in relations with Russia and China.
“We were living in a different era. Russia was in the G8. We were having our ‘golden age’ with China,” she said.
“That was a mistake. When the war in Ukraine started, and when I got into Cabinet in 2022, we increased defence spending.”
She added: “Now the intelligence assessment says that Russia could attack a NATO country by 2030. We have to be ready for that.”
The Conservative leader also attacked Mr Burnham, claiming his approach reflected “old-school Labour”.
“Andy Burnham is old-school Labour,” she said. “They’re going to tax, tax, tax. They’re going to blow all the money on welfare. It is pure socialism. They’re going to run out of our money.”
Labour says the Defence Investment Plan will raise annual defence spending from £54bn to £80bn by 2029, with Sir Keir arguing that the Government has reversed the “corrosive hollowing out” of the armed forces.