Burnham is widely expected to replace Starmer as PM (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to go ahead with the publication of the Defence Investment Plan (Dip), despite opposition from Prime Minister in waiting Andy Burnham. Burnham, who is widely expected to replace Starmer following his resignation, is understood to be keen for the publication to be delayed to allow him to assess and amend it.
Downing Street has confirmed that no “major” new policy decisions or spending pledges would be made in the coming weeks, adding that Sir Keir would agree priorities with Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo in the coming days. But the Dip, which has been delayed for months amid wrangling within Government over its funding, is one loose end he intends to tie up before leaving office.
John Healey quit as Defence Secretary over the Dip (Image: Getty)
His plans to publish the document before the NATO summit on July 7 have the potential to cause friction after The Times reported allies of Mr Burnham believe the decision should fall to the next leader.
An ally of former defence secretary John Healey, who quit over the Dip earlier this month, also warned against publishing a “half-baked” plan before the new prime minister was installed.
“We know this Dip settlement falls well short, and an incoming PM will still have to meet the same requirements. So clearly there is a strong argument against publishing a half-baked Dip now,” they said.
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge expressed his concern that the chaos engulfing the government following the Prime Minister’s resignation would lead to the plan’s publication being pushed back once more.
In a note of advice to Starmer’s likely successor, Cartilage urged Burnham to boost defence spending if he enters Downing Street in the coming weeks.
He said in the Commons: “Assuming (Burnham) becomes Prime Minister in the coming weeks, he will have many items in his in tray.
“But the first duty of any Government is Defence of the realm.
“So when Labour’s own Secretary of State for Defence until just days ago resigns saying Labour’s Defence Investment Plan would make the country ‘less safe’, it must be obvious that this is the top item for the new PM’s attention.
“If the new Prime Minister is to succeed, the quantum of cash on the table will need to be far more substantial, given the threats we face.”
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister, denied Starmer’s government was a “zombie government” on Tuesday and said that the Dip would still be published within the next couple of weeks.
He told the Today programme on Radio 4: “It isn’t a delay because it’s something that the country has always planned to do for the NATO summit, which is in early July in Turkey. That remains the case. That is unchanged. The work is continuing.”
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, told MPs: “I am confident that the Dip will be published before the NATO summit. It will involve more money, spent more effectively, and will meet the scale of the challenges facing our country.”