Kemi Badenoch accuses Andy Burnham of ‘fiddling while Europe risks burning’
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has accused Prime Minister Andy Burnham of avoiding difficult decisions regarding national security by refusing to cut welfare spending. She argues that the government is failing to adequately fund the military while facing a growing Russian threat, contrasting the UK's approach with actions taken by France and Poland. The controversy highlights a political debate over whether social security or defense should take priority in the national budget.
- ▪Kemi Badenoch criticized Prime Minister Andy Burnham for not cutting the welfare budget to increase defense spending.
- ▪Former military chiefs, including Lord West and Lord Dannatt, warned that Britain's military is in a poor state of readiness.
- ▪The UK has committed to spending 3.5% of national income on defense by 2035, but there is pressure to clarify how this will be funded.
- ▪The Conservative Party has proposed capping housing benefit to raise £4 billion for defense purposes.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — World |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/20/kemi-badenoch-accuses-andy-burnham-fiddling-europe-risks-burning |
| Publication time | Sat, 19 Sep 2026 23:09:24 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-19T23:13:46.053Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-19T23:13:46.053Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Kemi Badenoch said the prime minister had to ‘stop pretending that we are living in a carefree end of history’. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PAView image in fullscreenKemi Badenoch said the prime minister had to ‘stop pretending that we are living in a carefree end of history’. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PAKemi BadenochKemi Badenoch accuses Andy Burnham of ‘fiddling while Europe risks burning’Tory leader claims prime minister is avoiding difficult decisions as she urges him to increase defence spending Yassin El-MouddenSat 19 Sep 2026 19.09 EDTLast modified on Sat 19 Sep 2026 19.13 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleKemi Badenoch has accused Andy Burnham of “fiddling while Europe is at risk of burning”, as she repeated her call for the prime minister to cut the welfare budget to fund…
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