Burnham warned cash ‘not vibes’ needed to stop Putin as Russian threats intensify

Andy Burnham has been warned that cash, “not vibes”, is needed to stop Vladimir Putin amid the growing threat of Russian aggression towards the UK. Senior Labour backbencher Tan Singh Dhesi, the chair of the Commons Defence Select Committee, issued the stark warning amid confusion over whether the prime minister will commit to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030. In a fiery exchange during Mr Burnham’s first outing in Prime Minister’s Questions – just hours after the Russian president issued yet another threat against the UK – Mr Dhesi cautioned the government on failing to front the cash needed to protect the UK. Asked how he would respond to the UK’s decision to provide Kyiv with blueprints for the Scalp weapon, a version of the British Storm Shadow missile – and whether he is weighing up possible strikes on UK military sites on British territory – the Russian president said: “That’s a secret, a military secret.” He added that “any military facilities in Ukraine are our legitimate target, British or otherwise”. It was the third such warning from Russia in recent weeks, after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said his country had a right to regard the “direct involvement of British missile forces” as “participation in the war, with all the ensuing consequences”. During PMQs, the prime minister appeared to suggest he was committed to the 3 per cent defence target, but later Downing Street issued a clarification admitting it was not a commitment. open image in gallery Tan Singh Dhesi told Burnham ‘vibes alone’ won’t work (House of Commons) Mr Burnham said: “I’ve made that commitment very clear, and I have done for a considerable period of time. Mr Burnham informed Conservative leader Ms Badenoch that there was “no problem” regarding the party’s defence stance. He insisted that he had appointed John Healey as chancellor because of his commitment to defence spending, having resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s government over a shortfall in the military plans, which ultimately contributed to the end of Sir Keir’s time in No 10. open image in gallery Kemi Badenoch called on Burnham to cut welfare spending and use the money on the UK’s defence (House of Commons/UK Parliament) Mr Healey was later named chancellor , expected to deliver 3 per cent defence spending by 2030 and 3.5 per cent by 2035. But reports now suggest Mr Healey may back away from his 2030 goal, despite him insisting over the weekend that he is “not a hypocrite” on the issue in an interview with The Times.