Is Keir Starmer ‘complacent’ on defence?
4/16/202630 min
Keir Starmer has hit back at Labour peer George Robertson’s criticisms about defence funding. Why has the government been slow to prioritise defence and what trade-offs is Keir Starmer willing to make in order to increase spending?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod
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First 90 secondsGaby Hinsliff· Guest0:00
This is The Guardian.
Speaker 10:01
Lord Robertson, who authored the government's Strategic Defense Review, has said the Prime Minister has a corrosive complacency when it comes to defense. Why did he say that to you?
Rafael Behr· Host0:21
Keir Starmer is being attacked for not raising defense spending. Awkwardly for him, the criticism is coming from his own Labour peer, Lord Robertson. So is Keir Starmer really starving the armed forces of cash? And if he gives them more, where would he find the money? I'm Raphael Behr, in for John Harris, and you're listening to Politics Weekly for The Guardian. My colleague and Guardian columnist Gabby Hinsliff is with me. Hi, Gabby.
Gaby Hinsliff· Guest0:46
Hello, Raph.
Rafael Behr· Host0:47
Now, let's get straight into it. Keir Starmer probably used to getting abuse on military matters from Donald Trump by now, but he might have hoped to avoid a roasting from a Labour peer and author of his own government's Strategic Defense Review. So Lord Robertson, former Labour defense secretary, you and I remember him well from back in the day, former General Secretary of NATO, very, very serious military person, decided to air his frustrations with the government's failure to come forward with a ten-year spending plan for defense. So he said some pretty fruity things. He said, uh, the government has shown a corrosive complacency towards defense. Uh, he said, "We are underprepared, we are under-insured, we are under attack, we are not safe." And