Andy Burnham faced Kemi Badenoch at his second Prime Minister's Questions and declined to set a timetable for reaching 3 per cent of GDP on defence spending, despite having appeared to suggest last week that this would happen by 2030. He insisted that boosting national security would not come at the expense of "social security", rejecting the Conservatives' suggestion of cutting £4 billion from housing benefit to fund the military, which he warned would increase homelessness and push more children into temporary accommodation.

Burnham's earlier comments on a 2030 target had caused confusion, as the Treasury had deliberately avoided committing to a date; No 10 subsequently clarified the government's position was unchanged. Chancellor John Healey, who resigned as defence secretary partly over the lack of a clear timetable, has said a path to the target will only be set out at next year's spending review, not next month's Budget. Current plans under the Defence Investment Plan see spending rise to 2.7 per cent of GDP by 2027-28, with Burnham committing to reach 3.5 per cent by 2035, in line with NATO targets, though some Labour MPs have warned that "vibes" alone will not secure the country's defences.