Defence Secretary Wes Streeting denies delaying defence spending after Budget criticism
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has denied kicking defence spending down the road, after the Budget was criticised for a £2bn cut and a 3.5% GDP target set for 2035.
How it was covered
- GB News carried 60% of the airtime and concentrated on Budget defence cut, 2035 target and Chancellor's past criticism.
- BBC News concentrated on Government denial, Labour criticism and 3% GDP target details.
- Channel 5, BBC One, Channel 4, ITV, Sky News and BBC Two: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has denied that the government is kicking defence spending down the road after Wednesday's Budget came under criticism, BBC News reported. The Chancellor is under pressure to explain how the government will meet its target of spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030.
BBC News reported that the 3% target would mean about £11bn more a year for defence. It said the government had set out only broad plans, including private finance and international borrowing, and that details would come in next year's spending review. Streeting defended that timetable.
BBC News reported that Labour's chair of the Defence Select Committee, Tan Dhesi, said the UK risked being seriously vulnerable in a major conflict. He said defence investment cannot be kicked into the long run.
BBC News also reported that large new defence contracts with overseas companies will require those companies to invest the same value back into the UK. A £50m contract would require £50m of investment in jobs, factories or technology, it said.
GB News reported that the Budget shaved £2bn from defence and questioned whether this was a fiddle if the money was later restored. It said the 3.5% GDP target was set for 2035, with a 3% target for 2030, and that the defence investment plan would be funded through a further 1% cut to other departments' capital budgets. GB News said only £10.3bn had been committed to a £15bn plan, leaving £4.7bn to find. It also noted £10bn of economic and military support for Ukraine.
GB News quoted earlier criticism by the Chancellor that the defence investment plans fell well short, with no date for 3% and no path to 3.5%. It contrasted that with the Budget and described the government as having again kicked the can down the road.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 3 channels | |||
| The government set a defence spending target of 3% of GDP by 2030 and 3.5% by 2035, with about £11bn extra a year. | Reported by BBC One | Reported by GB News | |
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | |||
| Overseas companies awarded large UK defence contracts would be required to reinvest an equivalent value in the UK. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | |
| Tan Dhesi said the UK could be seriously vulnerable in a major conflict and that defence investment should not be delayed. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | |
| The Defence Secretary rejected claims that the government was delaying defence spending. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | |
| Only on one channel | |||
| £10.3bn of a £15bn defence investment plan has been committed. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by GB News |
| The Budget reduced defence spending by £2bn. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | |
| The defence investment plan was reported to be fully funded by a further 1% cut to other departments' capital budgets. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | |
| The government aims to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035, with a 3% target for 2030. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News treated the Budget as a credibility problem for the Chancellor, focusing on the £2bn defence reduction and the 2035 timetable. Its late-night panel called the accounting sound like a fiddle and contrasted the Chancellor's past criticism of defence plans with the Budget. It also argued that trimming every department by 1% is a poor way to save money.
- “So he didn't really say much, and he's kicked the can down the road again.”
- “It sounds like a bit of a fiddle, which is not good.”
- “they're shaving off 2 billion”
BBC News led on the government's response, reporting the Defence Secretary's denial that spending was being kicked down the road. It explained the 3% GDP target for 2030, the lack of detail until next year's spending review, and internal Labour criticism from Tan Dhesi. It also reported the new requirement for overseas defence contractors to invest equivalent value in the UK.
- “the Defence Secretary has denied that the government is kicking the can down the road on defence spending”
- “he says that we risk leaving ourselves seriously vulnerable in the event of a major conflict”
- “That would mean around an extra £11 billion a year on defence.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.