I’ll quit if Andy Burnham fails to find billions for Britain’s Armed Forces, vows Defence Secretary Wes Streeting
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said he will quit if Andy Burnham isn't able to find the billions needed to shore up Britain's Armed Forces.
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Mr Streeting has said that he is prepared to quit 'as a matter of principle' if enough money cannot be found.
The government needs to find an extra £4.7 billion for defence in the next five years.
Former defence secretary John Healey was forced to resign from the role over Sir Keir Starmer's failure to commit to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030.
New PM Mr Burnham has said that he is 'very aware' of the reasons for Mr Healey stepping down from the role and said: "The first challenge facing us both is to ensure that the Defence Investment Plan is fully funded. That's the thing that's right in front of us and we need to work that through as we go towards the Budget later this year," he said.
Mr Burnham said it was for Mr Healey – now the Chancellor – to write budgets, but that he was 'in no doubt' he would invest in defence.
Mr Burnham will meet Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday as his first international visitor since becoming Prime Minister.
He will host Zelensky a week after entering Downing Street, underlining the Government’s continued backing for Kyiv under his premiership, according to No 10.
They will visit a naval base where Mr Burnham will announce that Britain will hand over the intellectual property behind its new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system, enabling Ukraine to produce the technology at scale.
The tablet-sized device is designed to block Russian detection of any drones it is fitted to.
The Ministry of Defence has already given thousands of the jammers to Ukrainian forces to bolster their drone operations.
Mr Burnham said in a statement: “Britain stands with Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder, and our support remains unwavering.
“Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve and we will not back down until we achieve long-lasting and just peace for Ukraine.
“Stone Cloak is the best of homegrown British innovation and proven on the frontline, and it will be vital to protecting our security in both our countries.”
Following its deployment in Ukraine, the technology is expected to be incorporated into the UK’s next generation of long-range strike weapons, including Project Brakestop, the Government’s initiative to develop low-cost cruise missiles.
During the visit, the two leaders will meet more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel who have spent the past three weeks in the UK taking part in Exercise Sea Breeze, aimed at strengthening warfighting capabilities and counter-mine measures in the Black Sea.
Mr Burnham is standing behind the government's previous pledge to spend 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2035.
The Government then agreed at a Nato summit in the Hague last year to spend 5% on defence by 2035, which Sir Keir Starmer’s government said would mean a further 1.5% spend on “resilience and security”.
Mr Burnham said both he and Chancellor John Healey – the former defence secretary – were working towards ensuring the defence investment plan was “fully funded” ahead of the Budget in the autumn.
He said: “I’m absolutely committed to what we’ve promised our Nato partners.”