Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party's defence spokesperson and leadership candidate, urged the Prime Minister to increase defence spending to £28 billion [1].
The demand places significant pressure on the current administration to reconcile fiscal constraints with escalating geopolitical tensions. If the government fails to meet these targets, critics argue the UK may be unprepared for high-intensity conflict in Europe.
Badenoch spoke at a defence rally in Central London on June 15 [2]. The event took place while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was attending the NATO summit in Ankara [3]. During her address, Badenoch targeted the Prime Minister's current financial commitments to the military.
"Sir Keir, you must invest £28 billion in defence or resign," Badenoch said [1].
Badenoch argued that the Prime Minister's announced additional military funding of £15 billion [4] is insufficient. She said this amount is only half of what defence chiefs said they needed [5]. The leadership candidate linked the lack of funding to a specific timeline for potential conflict, stating the UK could be at war with Russia by 2030 [6].
Badenoch emphasized that national security depends on the immediate implementation of a comprehensive investment plan. She said the Prime Minister should resign if he cannot prove that the long-delayed defence investment plan will protect national security [7].
The call for £28 billion [1] represents a sharp increase over the £15 billion [4] currently proposed by the government. This gap highlights a growing divide between the Conservative leadership's security vision, and the Labour government's spending priorities.
“"Sir Keir, you must invest £28 billion in defence or resign."”
This confrontation signals a strategic pivot for the Conservative Party as it seeks to define itself as the party of national security. By tying a specific financial figure to the Prime Minister's tenure, Badenoch is attempting to frame the current government as negligent in the face of a concrete 2030 threat window, potentially forcing the government to either increase spending or risk appearing weak on defence.
