Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Sir Nick Harvey has criticised the Government's proposed 3 per cent of GDP spending on defence as insufficient for the UK to maintain European leadership.Speaking to GB News, Sir Nick Harvey said he would not give the spending target "that ringing endorsement" despite supporting the policy's direction.FULL STORY HERE.
00:00Sir Nick Harvey, let's bring you in now. You've had a chance to pour over the detail. Are you satisfied this goes anywhere near making Britain armour clad and battle ready, as the Keir Starmer promises?
00:12I don't think I'd be prepared to give it that ringing endorsement, but I think it's broadly heading in the right direction. I would support it as a direction of travel.
00:21Well, we didn't hear anything about money today, as Marc Francois says. I'd actually go further than him. I'm not convinced 3% of GDP would even pay for this.
00:32I think 3% of GDP will soon get accounted for plugging gaps, covering cost overruns, dealing with the fact that we haven't even got the number of personnel that it says on the manifest at the moment.
00:47I think as you listen to other states talking about 3.5% of GDP on defence and another 1.5% on cyber defence and not conventional military expenditure, I can't see 3% actually fulfilling what this is describing at all.
