The Conservatives would reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings for a wide-ranging spending splurge on defence, according to party leader Kemi Badenoch. She stated that the party would undertake the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in the UK's history and commit to the largest net increase in British troops under any government since the second world war if they return to power at the next general election. The Conservatives say they could raise £20bn towards the venture by reinstating the two-child benefit cap and reallocating money earmarked for net zero projects.
The pledge would involve recruiting 6,000 full-time soldiers and 14,000 reservists, according to the Conservatives. Badenoch criticised the government for Britain's 'lack of readiness' for war, which has been exposed by recent world events.
Badenoch has been accused by Labour of prematurely stating that the UK should have joined Donald Trump's war with Iran. She said she found Donald Trump's public criticism of the UK prime minister 'disconcerting'. Keir Starmer has defended his decision to limit British involvement in the Iran war to 'defensive' action, refusing to allow the US access to launch widespread attacks from its bases.
The Labour government has said it is committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2027, increasing to 3% in the next parliament. It is under pressure to publish a defence spending plan, which was first promised last autumn, amid reports of tensions between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury. Labour ministers have argued that they have inherited years of underinvestment from the previous Conservative government and have accused the party of 'hollowing out' the military.