Sir Keir Starmer ‘misled MPs’ over defence spending

Sir Keir Starmer misled MPs over defence spending , the UK’s statistics watchdog has said. In March, the former prime minister told a committee that the Government would spend “£270bn more on defence than we would otherwise have done” following an uplift in spending last year. However, the UK Statistics Authority said the £270bn figure was the total planned spending on the military over the course of this parliament, rather than an increase. It said Sir Keir’s statement had been “incorrect and misleading”. James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary who had complained to the UKSA about Sir Keir’s statement and a tweet by the Wales Office making the same claim, said “Labour’s lies” had been exposed. The £270bn figure was also used in statements to the media from the Ministry of Defence . The planned increase at that time, before the publication of Sir Keir’s defence investment plan , was £1.9bn this year and £3.3bn next year. Labour has since raised the budget by a further £15bn in the DIP, bringing the total increase to around £20bn – less than 10 per cent of Sir Keir’s figure.