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Wednesday, September 9Wednesday, September 9
7 days · 2 summary articles
Burnham defends defence funding and economic plans in first PMQs as UK prime minister
Burnham hosts Macron in London as UK prime minister seeks EU cooperation on Brexit and defense
Andy Burnham faced his first Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, defending his government’s commitments to defence and economic stability in the House of Commons. The newly appointed prime minister, who replaced Keir Starmer in July, reiterated the UK’s dedication to its military obligations, including full funding for the Defence Investment Plan and a pledge to meet NATO targets by 2035. “There is no problem with our commitment to defence,” Burnham stated during the session .
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch challenged Burnham on fiscal discipline, questioning how the administration would fund its promises amid rising government borrowing. Burnham countered by blaming market instability on the economic record of the previous Conservative government and emphasized balancing fiscal responsibility with cost-of-living relief. He also addressed geopolitical tensions, urging cross-party solidarity with Germany and Ukraine following a recent attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle airport, which Germany attributed to Russia .
During the session, Labour backbencher Tan Singh Dhesi pressed Burnham on defence spending, warning that “cash, not vibes” was needed to counter Russian aggression. Dhesi cited recent threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged Burnham to commit to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030. Burnham initially appeared to endorse the target but later clarified through Downing Street that no formal commitment had been made .
Burnham also outlined plans to devolve power to regional mayors, granting them greater control over education and taxation to drive growth and reindustrialization. He criticized past decades of centralization, privatization, and austerity, calling the water industry “a monument to the failure of privatization” .
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