Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declined to commit to raising UK defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030, a target his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer's government had also failed to firmly guarantee. Speaking at a press conference in North London, Burnham instead pointed to the later Nato-wide target of 3.5 per cent by 2035, saying commitments beyond that related to "the Parliament after this one" but that Nato obligations would be honoured. The issue is significant because it exposes tension within government over the pace of military investment amid growing concerns about the threat from Russia.

Chancellor John Healey, who resigned as defence secretary in June, had said he was "certain" Britain should reach 3 per cent by 2030, warning that the existing defence investment plan would only deliver 2.68 per cent by then, and criticised the lack of a clear timetable. Burnham argued that reforms elsewhere, such as funding social care and tackling youth unemployment, would reduce the cost of "paying for failure" and eventually free up resources to meet defence commitments, though he offered no specific timeline for reaching 3 per cent.