Defence must cut waste and maximise value for money, says Streeting

New Defence Secretary Wes Streeting says he wants to ensure "every penny is spent wisely", adding investment in the armed forces must come with "modernisation".

Streeting said he wanted to follow the same "mantra" he had while health secretary, arguing this saw him "maximising value for money and cutting waste" after securing billions of pounds of extra funding for the NHS.

Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow, Streeting said his aim is to make the UK a "strong, dependable ally" while also supporting jobs at home.

A £15bn increase in military spending over four years was announced by Sir Keir Starmer in his final days as prime minister, although it is not yet fully funded.

The announcement of the long-delayed defence investment plan (Dip) followed a row in government which led to John Healey quitting as defence secretary.

Healey is now the chancellor and faces the task of finding the extra money he believed the last government failed to deliver to keep the UK safe.

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also said he wants to honour the UK's commitments on defence spending.

These include meeting Nato's core defence spending target of 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.

The money spent on defence by the end of the decade will be 2.7% of GDP, according to the Dip.

Streeting, pressed on whether he supports the ambition of raising defence spending to 3% by 2030, told reporters that fiscal policy is "a matter for the chancellor".

He also said his calls for greater defence investment are "on the record".

Streeting said: "What I will not do, because I think it would not only be limiting to my time in this post, but potentially ending of my time in this post, is to write the chancellor's next budget and next spending review for him."

He added: "What I will do is put the best possible case for defence to the Treasury."

Streeting replied "absolutely not" when asked if he was "trying to do defence on the cheap".

Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge has questioned whether Burnham will increase spending to 3% in the current Parliament, which is due to run until 2029.

Writing on X, he added: "Or is it still a vague 'ambition' for the next Parliament - as late as 2034?"

During his speech, Streeting said the government has "agreed more than £11.8bn worth of contracts" in the 10 days since the publication of the Dip.

Streeting added: "But investment is only one side of the coin because while we will always back our brave men and women who serve, ensuring they have the resources and the kit that they need, we also owe it to them and to the whole country to ensure that every penny is spent wisely.

"Modernisation without investment is impractical, but investment without modernisation is irresponsible."

Streeting said he embarked on a "bold programme of reform and modernisation" during his time as health secretary to ensure "that we were maximising value for money and cutting waste".

He said this reduced waiting times for hospital treatment in England and led to millions more appointments.

Streeting added: "This is the mantra I will now follow as defence secretary.

"This is how we make ourselves fit to face the future, how we will continue to be a strong, dependable ally to our friends abroad, and how we will be an engine of growth and jobs here at home."

In February, Streeting responded to the hospital waiting list in England dropping to its lowest level in nearly three years by saying there had been good progress but there was "much more to do".

The Ministry of Defence was recently criticised over its "unbelievable" waste and inefficiency by Labour MP Al Carns, who also quit as a defence minister during the row over funding for the Dip.

Carns told The Guardian last month: "You turn a stone over and get another shock - how has that been allowed to go on?

"And you turn another stone over, and it is just layers of bureaucracy which now cost us more than the product you're getting itself."

Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.