Should welfare be cut to boost defence spending? VOTE NOW

CATTERICK, UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 30: Members of the Special Operations Land Task Group prepare their vehicles for the following day’s UK validation exercise, at RAF Leeming on January 30, 2026 near Catterick, United Kingdom. The training exercise involves members of the UK Special Operations Forces from the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines, and is designed to demonstrate operational readiness of the joint rapid-reaction forces. The successful completion of Exercise Hyperion Storm validates the UK’s integration with the NATO Allied Reaction Force (ARF), part of the multinational military alliance ready to deploy in response to global security concerns. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Credit: Getty KEMI Badenoch has pledged a huge boost to defence spending by 2030 – but should welfare cuts be made to pay for it? The Tory leader’s savings would include £4billion from housing benefit reforms and £3billion by reimposing the two-child benefit cap. Kemi Badenoch has pledged a huge boost to defence spending by 2030 through welfare cuts Credit: Getty PM Andy Burnham is under pressure to hit three per cent of GDP Credit: Getty Ms Badenoch has heaped pressure on PM Andy Burnham and his Chancellor John Healey to urgently spell out plans to hit three per cent of GDP on defence by 2030. She said: “The first duty of every government is defence — and the Conservatives will always put our defence first.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Healey notoriously quit as Defence Secretary earlier this year after then-PM Sir Keir Starmer failed to put a timeline on when armed forces spending would hit 3 per cent of GDP. Mr Burnham has backed plans by ministers to increase defence spending but it remains unclear what taxes he would raise or what welfare cuts he would be willing to make to pay for this uplift. Should welfare be cut to boost defence spending? Have your say in our exclusive poll and share your thoughts below for the chance to win a £100 voucher. Love to debate? Join Sun Club for just £1.99 a month for the boldest opinion on the issues shaping Britain. 2 comments2