At Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch presses Andy Burnham on defence spending - and when the government will spend 3% of GDP on the military
The prime minister says 3.5% of GDP will be spent by 2035, with a date for when it will reach 3% to be announced next year. BBC Verify looks at the numbers
Badenoch says with threats from Argentina over the Falklands Islands, and from Russia in the North Sea, budgets should increase now
Burnham says: "We do everything to support our national security, but it can't come at the expense of social security"
Badenoch replies: "It's unbelievable that the prime minister would say that... we need to fund our defence, not spend all of our money on welfare"
You can watch the exchange here - our correspondent Harry Farley says it was the focus of the post-PMQs press briefing with Burnham's team
There is a clear dividing line between Burnham and Badenoch on spending priorities, writes political editor Chris Mason
We've just recieved a statement from Reform UK about the investigation by the Met.
A party spokesman says: “Reform UK denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation. We won’t be commenting further while a live investigation is underway.”
Following on from the breaking news in our previous post, here's the Met Police statement in full...
"Following a broadcast by Channel 4 News on Thursday, 3 September, the Met received a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party.
"Detectives have assessed the information provided and determined that there are potential offences requiring investigation.
"The potential offences are similar in nature to matters already under investigation by the Met's Special Enquiry Team relating to donations made to the same political party.
"As a result, these matters will form part of that ongoing investigation.
"All allegations under investigation relate to potential offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
"As part of enquiries, detectives are seeking to obtain relevant footage relating to the broadcast on Thursday 3, September.
"Detectives continue to liaise closely with the Electoral Commission and Crown Prosecution Service as enquiries progress."
Chris Mason
Political editor
The Metropolitan Police is carrying out a criminal investigation into allegations Reform UK broke the law in relation to foreign funding.
The investigation - which follows the broadcast by Channel 4 News last week - is being folded into the inquiry that has been underway into some other donations to Reform for some time.
Michael Buchanan
Social affairs correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesProtesters demonstrated against benefit cuts at a rally in Parliament Square in 2025
Kemi Badenoch called for Andy Burnham to cut welfare spending in order to fund national security during today's PMQs.
But support for disability benefits remains "remarkably strong" and cutting them would be "politically risky", according to a new report.
The analysis, from the British Social Attitudes survey, found that fewer than one in 10 people favoured cutting welfare payments for the disabled, with almost half of people saying they would support more being spent on them, even if it led to higher taxes.
Spending on the main disability benefit is forecast to more than double in a decade, reaching £41bn by 2030.
But the report says that cutting these payments would not be easy.
"Very few people favour cuts, disabled people are seen as among the most deserving recipients of support, and proposals to reduce disability benefits appear politically risky across the political spectrum," says the report's co-author Dr Robert de Vries from the University of Kent.
The analysis is based on 4,656 interviews gathered between August and October 2025 - we've more on its findings in our news story.
Harry Farley
Reporting from the House of Commons
I’ve just come from the regular briefing the prime minister’s team does with reporters after PMQs. It’s our opportunity to press for further details, or ask for clarifications, on what was said in the Commons.
The immediate focus was on Andy Burnham’s line that supporting national security "can't come at the expense of social security”.
His press team were at pains to stress his previous commitment that "national security is the most important duty of any government”.
On the discussion in PMQs about welfare, the prime minister’s press secretary stressed Burnham has been “consistent about getting the welfare bill down”. But they said that didn’t mean “crude cuts” that could “put people into crisis” by making them homeless and so creating higher costs elsewhere in the system to support them.
When John Healey - now the chancellor - quit as defence secretary under Keir Starmer, he specifically cited the immediate risks facing Britain and the urgent need to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030.
But Burnham is not yet committing to reaching that shorter term target, only saying the UK will reach 3.5% by 2035 - a date seen as too late by many military experts to meet the threats posed by Russia.
Any decision over increasing defence spending has been deferred to next year’s spending review.
But that has created a political vulnerability for Labour here and now.
You can expect the Conservatives to highlight that vulnerability over and over again in the weeks building up to the Budget.
One of the key exchanges at PMQs this lunchtime centred on how plans for increased defence spending should be funded.
Watch below as Prime Minister Andy Burnham rejected Kemi Badenoch's argument that he should cut welfare spending to meet the UK's Nato commitments.
National security 'can't come at the expense of social security', says Burnham
By Anthony Reuben
Kemi Badenoch tried to get Andy Burnham to commit to when he would increase defence spending to 3% of the size of the economy measured by GDP.
The prime minister said she would have to wait for next year’s spending review, but set out some other figures on defence spending.
“It was 2.5% of GDP when the last Labour government left office. It was 2.3% of GDP when the government she was in left office. It's now set to be 2.7% in the next year,” he told MPs.
Checking that in the latest figures from the military alliance Nato, external, spending was indeed 2.3% in 2024. You need a slightly older publication, external to confirm the 2.5% figure from 2010.
The 2.7% figure for next year is the target from the Defence Investment Plan, external.
You can read more here about UK defence spending - and the challenge of getting to 3%.
During today's PMQs session, Prime Minister Andy Burnham faced questions over why he had picked John Healey as his chancellor.
Burnham insisted Healey had been selected because of his commitment to defence spending - take a look below.
Burnham defends appointment of chancellor
Vicki Young
Politics Live presenter
Speaking on Politics Live after PMQs, Laura Trott – the shadow education secretary – echoed Kemi Badenoch’s call on the government to cut welfare spending to boost investment in defence.
She told me: “We believe we should cut a ballooning welfare bill in order to fund our defence priorities. This should be done at the Budget – the threats are real, we’re facing them now. This is not something that should be punted off to a spending review.”
The Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy insisted the Labour government isn’t waiting to increase spending on defence.
She says that “we said we would reach 2.5% of GDP in our manifesto – we’ve surpassed that already several years early. I don’t think we’ve been complacent about it.”
Rachel Flynn
Live reporter
Image source, House of CommonsTory leader Kemi Badenoch chose the government's defence spending as her main line of attack during this week's Prime Minister's Questions.
She began by questioning whether Burnham will fund defence spending at 3% of GDP.
The PM replied that the government will spend 3.5% of its GDP by 2035, and a date for its 3% defence funding will be announced in the spending review.
He said strong national security cannot come at the expense of social security, which Badenoch called "unbelievable". She said he could fund defence by approving the Rosebank oil field off Shetland.
Burnham said the "Labour way" to get the welfare budget down is to save billions from housing benefits from building more council houses, and help more young people get into work.
Harry Farley
Reporting from the Commons
Image source, House of CommonsAndy Burnham used Kemi Badenoch’s final question about leadership as an opportunity to set out a glimpse of his foreign policy vision.
We have not heard much about how the prime minister sees Britain’s role on the global stage.
The question was not about the Middle East and the government’s sanctions on Israeli settlements. But the prime minister wants to boast of that decision and highlight what it says about his international outlook.
"In this difficult and dangerous world, Britain has to stand for something,” he told MPs, echoing words he used in a piece for the Guardian overnight.
"We will always stand with the underdog,” he added.
His response received the largest cheers of the session so far from Labour MPs; a sign of how popular the sanctions are among most in Burnham’s party.
The PM is still taking questions from MPs from across the House as his second prime minister's questions continues.
We'll bring you a recap shortly of all of all the key points we've heard.
Image source, House of CommonsThe SNP's Dave Doogan asks about the upcoming increase in energy bills for households across the UK ahead of the rise in the Ofgem's price cap.
Doogan says he "quite likes" the new prime minister, but asks him what he is going to do to help people with rising costs as "popularity will not pay the bills".
Burnham answers that he will be removing VAT from electricity bills, saying "it is not going to solve everything" but will take some pressure off.
He adds that Doogan should look out for further measures to come, mentioning the £2 bus fare cap, while acknowledging that does only apply in England.
"Can I thank him for his fake praise and say it will get him everywhere," Burnham jokes in conclusion, to laugher from MPs.
For context: Energy prices for millions of households will rise to the highest level for three years on 1 October.
Davey says the best legacy of the last Conservative PM Rishi Sunak is the UK's "world-leading" AI institute. But today, the FT newspaper is reporting tech firm Anthropic did not submit its latest model for testing, apparently due to pressure from the Trump administration.
He asks if the PM thinks it's acceptable for the US president to undermine efforts to keep the world safe from dangerous AI.
Burnham says he has appointed a minister for AI in cabinet and boosted the conversation of AI in government. He says it is open to MPs on all sides to be part of the discussion.
Image source, House of CommonsLiberal Democrat leader Ed Davey says he welcomes the government sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, before turning to ask about maternity care.
He asks whether the prime minister agrees that work needs to be faster on opening a new maternity unit after failings at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, and if he will make fixing maternity care across the UK a top priority.
Burnham calls this a "fair question" and says conditions at Musgrove Park point to a systemic challenge across the country.
Next week, he continues, the health secretary will chair a meeting of the maternity taskforce and will make sure all of the issues raised are looked at in detail.
Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from the Commons
Image source, House of CommonsA clear dividing line was illustrated in the exchanges between Andy Burnham and Kemi Badenoch on spending priorities — and in particular defence spending and spending on benefits.
Burnham’s reference to the importance of what he called "social security" will likely be seized upon by some of his critics — his reference to it prompting Badenoch to brand him "unbelievable".
The prime minister argues that there is a "Labour way to get the welfare bill down" — including improving education — and that that is the "right way to fund defence".
But Badenoch’s reply that the government "doesn’t know" how it will pay for increased defence spending will be a strand of argument we will likely hear repeatedly this autumn.
Badenoch questions Burnham on defence spending target
Kate Whannel
Reporting from the Commons
Image source, House of CommonsChancellor John Healey was seen standing at the end of the chamber rather than sat on the front bench
John Healey is featuring heavily so far in today’s PMQs. He is in the chamber but not sitting on the front bench.
Instead he is watching on from his favoured position - standing at the end of the chamber.
He watches on impassively as Badenoch and Burnham argue over what will be one of his biggest headaches ahead of the Budget and next year’s spending review.
Image source, House of CommonsBadenoch says the PM keeps speaking about the Labour record as if it was fantastic but "what we have at the moment is just vibes".
She says other countries are making claims to our sovereign territory, and calls him "continuity Keir" on issues that really matter.
Burnham points out that Badenoch mentioned leadership and that Britain is showing leadership.
He says that PMs on both sides of the chamber have been talking about a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine for decades.
He says leadership is about taking action.
"Britain has to stand for something. Britain has to show leadership. Britain has to stand for fairness against injustice," he says.
Burnham says Britain will always stand with the underdog and that is leadership on the world stage.
Still on the Chagos Islands, Badenoch says the government is looking to pay £35bn to "give away British territory" while it "cancels £30m of vital training for British soldiers".
She ask Burnham why he'd rather send money to Mauritius than spend it on "training our troops".
Burnham says Badenoch is not "on strong ground" on this subject, saying defence spending was 2.5% of GDP when Labour last left office, falling to 2.3% when the Conservatives last left.
He says his government will be one that is "strong of the defence of this country" and that it has a "fully funded plan".
Burnham adds it will be "better to work across the floor of this house" to get a fully funded path to 3.5% by 2035 and says he invites Badenoch to "work with us on that".
Image source, House of CommonsBadenoch says the truth is that Burnham doesn't know where he's going to find the money from for defence: "He's talking about anything except defence."
But, she says, Burnham is funding Keir Starmer's £35bn "surrender" of the Chagos Islands, which contains US and UK military bases.
She says this was a "weak decision" and stresses the UK needs to project strength as Argentina threatens the Falklands.
She asks why, then, Burnham is planning to surrender the Chagos Islands.
Burnham replies that Badenoch "has to do better than that" and insists the UK will not surrender its base at Diego Garcia.
He adds that the UK will respect the rights of Falkland Islanders to choose to be British.
