Starmer to secure legacy by publishing delayed defence investment plan before he leaves, as Burnham urges him to hold off
Sir Keir wants to complete work on the Dip before he leaves Downing Street, so he can present it at the Nato summit in Turkey
A row is brewing between Sir Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham over defence as the Prime Minister looks to secure his legacy by publishing the delayed defence investment plan (Dip) before he leaves office.
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Andy Burnham, Sir Keir’s likely successor, has been offered Government briefings to prepare for power after Civil Service access talks were authorised by the Prime Minister.
The pair met on Tuesday, the first time since Mr Burnham’s Westminster return, in a face-to-face meeting that took place away from No 10 and was reportedly “frosty”.
Despite the promise of no major policy decisions, a row appears to be brewing between Sir Keir and Mr Burnham over the Dip, the blueprint for future-proofing the military that sparked the resignation of John Healey as defence secretary earlier this month.
Read more: Expected defence spending plan ‘will meet the moment’, vows Chancellor
Mr Healey quit because the Dip was only due to provide £13.5 billion extra investment in defence, far short of the £28 billion over four years which officials had said was necessary.
He suggested the UK was on course to spend only 2.68 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on core defence by 2030, putting doubt on the country’s ability to meet its Nato target of 3.5 per cent by 2035.
Sir Keir wants to complete work on the Dip before he leaves Downing Street, so he can present it at the Nato summit in Turkey on July 7, as part of efforts to establish his legacy as Prime Minister.
The plan now provides some £14 billion extra funding for the armed forces, according to the Times, though this is still far short of the £28 billion military chiefs have called for.
Mr Burnham’s camp and allies of Mr Healey have urged the Prime Minister against publishing the plan until his successor is in place.
The MP for Makerfield has told allies that he plans to increase defence spending when he is in office, the Telegraph has reported, and has promised to give the Ministry of Defence more than the £13.5 billion promised by the outgoing Prime Minister.
Mr Healey is understood to believe that Mr Burnham's proposed spending increase will be enough to defend against the threat posed by Russia.
Wrangling over the Dip looks set to go down to the wire as Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said he would not agree a deal “at any cost”.
Mr Jarvis said he wanted a deal “sooner rather than later”, but talks were still ongoing to finalise the Dip.
At a conference organised by defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute, Mr Jarvis said “time is not my friend” as the Dip had to be signed off well in advance of the Nato summit, but he said it was not yet done.
“It is, of course, a matter of public record why my predecessor and friend John Healey is not delivering these remarks,” he told the conference in London.
“I accepted this job with full awareness of the task before me and my priority is to get the defence investment plan done, but not at any cost.
“I have a responsibility to get it right.”
Mr Jarvis indicated that the turmoil in No 10 did not change the “urgent need” to produce the Dip.
He said: “The Dip is a significant, detailed and vast piece of work.
“The department has been working on it for 12 months.
“I have had 12 days, but I have made the most of all of them, and I am now working to finalise and publish the Dip before I travel to Ankara with the Prime Minister.”
But Mr Jarvis said the Dip came ahead of another “skirmish” with the Treasury over funding, which would be in the 2027 spending review.
He said: “On the current plans agreed last year we will invest £270 billion in defence over the course of this Parliament.
“The Dip will mean more money added on top.
“We will have another spending review next year, in which I expect defence to be the number one priority.”
The Defence Secretary said he has had “very good, constructive meetings” with Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The Dip will help fund the Army’s transformation into a force using the latest drones and artificial intelligence technology alongside conventional troops and armour.
Chief of the General Staff General Sir Roly Walker told the conference that drones had to be ready to strike against Russian forces in 30 minutes, drawing on the lessons from the war in Ukraine, if efforts to deter Vladimir Putin failed.
He highlighted the role played by the artificial intelligence-enabled Asgard control system to help the military find and target enemy forces.
Sir Roly said: “In the next year, I expect to see much greater numbers of our remote and autonomous systems forward on our eastern flank, ready to strike and act within 30 minutes, all orchestrated by Asgard as it goes into its next spiral.”
Asgard was a “digital juggernaut” evolving every eight to 12 weeks, he said.
“If ever I think this was a moment where we have our century’s tank-versus-horse moment, I feel it’s about this area,” Sir Roly added.