Andy Burnham's government has reiterated its commitment to Nato defence spending pledges, with health secretary Wes Streeting explicitly backing Donald Trump's demands for European allies to shoulder more of the defence burden. Burnham said he and chancellor John Healey would honour Nato commitments, understood to include a target of 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence, as pressure grows from Washington for European nations to increase spending significantly by 2035.

Trump has repeatedly criticised Nato allies and called for defence spending to reach 5 per cent of GDP within the decade. Streeting, in his first speech as defence secretary, said Trump was "right" to demand Europe carry a greater share of its own defence costs. Elsewhere, Burnham faced questions over whether he had U-turned on raising the personal tax allowance from £12,570, insisting no firm commitment had been made and that any decision would wait until the Budget, while the Green Party separately urged more investment in bus services rather than just fare cuts.