Dan Jarvis presses Andy Burnham on 3.5% defence spending
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis urged next Prime Minister Andy Burnham to commit to 3.5% GDP defence spending but refused to confirm a direct conversation.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has used a visit to the Arctic Circle to urge the next prime minister, widely expected to be Andy Burnham, to commit to spending 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035. But he repeatedly refused to confirm whether he has spoken directly to Burnham about the plan.
Speaking on board HMS Prince of Wales during military exercises, Jarvis said the UK must honour its commitments to NATO allies. The alliance's secretary general, Mark Rutte, has called on members to set out clear plans to reach the 3.5% target. The United States has also pressed for faster increases in defence spending, with Donald Trump and his defence secretary Pete Hegseth using NATO summits to demand concrete timetables.
Jarvis acknowledged that Europe needs to do more. "Some of what the Americans have said in recent times is absolutely right. Europe does need to step up," he said. He insisted the UK is playing a leading role and pointed to an extra £15 billion for defence, of which £4.7 billion is unfunded and will have to be found by the new prime minister.
When asked directly whether he had spoken to Andy Burnham about the defence investment plan, Jarvis would not give a straight answer. He said there had been "a number of conversations with Andy and his team about the transition of power" but declined to say whether a personal conversation had taken place. Pressed further, he said: "I'm not going to get into the specifics of private conversations."
The exchange took place against a backdrop of heightened Russian activity in the Arctic. Jarvis was briefed on a recent incident in which a Russian surveillance plane passed close to the carrier group and dropped sonar devices into the Norwegian Sea. He described the threat from Russia as significant "in every domain" including underwater, on land, in the air, space and cyberspace.
The defence secretary expressed confidence that Burnham, as a Labour prime minister, would ensure the country has the resources it needs. But he stopped short of confirming that Burnham had personally endorsed the spending plan, leaving questions about the new leader's commitment to the 3.5% target.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 4 |
|---|---|
| £4.7 billion of the defence spending increase is unfunded and must be found by the new prime minister. | |
| Dan Jarvis called on Andy Burnham to outline how he would meet the 3.5% GDP defence spending target. | |
| Dan Jarvis refused to confirm whether he has spoken directly to Andy Burnham about the defence investment plan. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 focused on the tension between Dan Jarvis's public pressure on Andy Burnham and his refusal to confirm a direct conversation about the defence spending plan. The reporter repeatedly pressed Jarvis on whether he had spoken to Burnham, highlighting the lack of clarity. The piece also used the Arctic setting and Russian threat to underscore the urgency of the defence spending question.
- “I'm not going to get into the specifics of private conversations, but I've known Andy Burnham.”
- “The conclusion that I would draw from this is that as a Labour Prime Minister, Andy Burnham cares deeply about the defence of our nation and will make sure that we've got the resources in place to keep the country safe.”
- “He won't say whether they've spoken. He can't say whether he'll still be in post in two weeks' time.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.