Labour civil war as Streeting sparks fury with 'churlish' attack on own MP
A senior MP has hit back at Wes Streeting in a brewing Labour civil war over defence spending. Political opponents accused the Defence Secretary of launching a “churlish” attack against the Labour chair of the Defence Select Committee following his criticism of the Budget.
TL;DR
- Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi are embroiled in a public dispute over Labour's defence spending.
- Mr. Dhesi criticized the government for delaying key defence decisions, warning of potential vulnerabilities.
- Mr. Streeting countered that the government is already overseeing the fastest increase in defence spending since the Cold War.
- Other Labour members have condemned Mr. Streeting's response as "churlish" and "disrespectful."
- The government plans to spend 3% of national income on defence by 2030 and aims for NATO's 3.5% target by 2035, but details on achieving these goals are deferred to next year's spending review.