The Labour Party’s stance on defence has been slammed by Ministers who say it will not keep the country safe in a “dangerous world”.
It comes as shadow ministers declined to back a 2.5 percent of GDP expenditure on defence by 2030 – a policy Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged.
Labour instead says it would decide what resources should be given to defence after the upcoming general election.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Downden accused the Opposition of having “no plans in a dangerous world”.
While Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said Labour’s stance would lead to “delay, disruption and obfuscation”.
Speaking to The Telegraph, veterans Minister Jonny Mercer said: “Labour again refused to back our plan to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence. Instead, they want to spend years holding a review as the world gets more dangerous while refusing to act to keep the British people safe.”
Sunak joined German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday to urge other European nations to follow Britain by ramping up investment into defence.
It is believed he will attend the NATO summit in Washington DC with Shapps and argue 2.5 percent spending should be the target for defence. The target has been two percent since 2006.
Sunak said European nations could no longer expect the US to bankroll them should they not be prepared to invest in defending themselves.
He said: “We cannot expect Americans to pay any price, to take any burden, if we in Europe are not ourselves prepared to make those sacrifices and make those investments.”
Sunak did not rule out reductions in public spending to fund the additional defence boost.
He said: “We are making a choice to prioritise defence. I think that’s the right thing because, whether we like it or not, the world is more dangerous than at any moment since the Cold War.
“I am not going to get into writing the next manifesto here and now, but what I am confident about is that if you have a strong plan for the economy as we have, and that plan is working, we stick to that plan we will be able to continue increasing defence spending.”
Labour says it would raise defence spending to 2.5 percent when resources allow. The amount spent is currently around 23 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry said the party would not commit to a 2.5 percent spend by 2030 “unless there is a plan that makes sense.”
While John Healey, Labour’s shadow defence secretary, said: “Everyone recognises that defence spending must rise to deal with increasing threats.
“The Opposition have no access to classified threat assessments or military advice, so if we are elected to government we will conduct a strategic defence review within our first year to get to grips with the threats we face, the capabilities we need, the state of the Armed Forces and the resources available when we get to open the books.”
