PMQs: Starmer goes for Johnson with all guns blazing over army cuts

Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer clashed over defence spending at a fractious PMQs in which the Labour leader accused the PM of not having the “courage” to put his plans to cut the Armed Forces to a vote.

The heated exchange comes amid reports that the government’s plans to reduce the army to its smallest size in 200 years could encourage an attack from Russia and leave Britain unable to retake the Falklands.

After calling for a full public inquiry as soon as Covid restrictions are lifted, Starmer asked the PM why he had promised not to cut the armed forces “in any form” before the last election. Johnson retorted that it was because he was going to increase defence spending by the biggest amount since the Cold War and keep the army at 100,000 troops, including reservists. 

Starmer hit back by quoting Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, who confirmed earlier this week that the army would be reduced by 10,000 soldiers over the next four years, adding: “Only this Prime Minister could suggest that a reduction from 82,000 to 72,000 is somehow not a cut”.

He continued: “The trouble is you just can’t trust the Conservatives to protect our armed forces,” before dipping into the back catalogue of Conservative manifestos to accuse the party of breaking its election pledges from 2015, 2017 and 2019 to maintain the size of the armed forces. At this point, the Commons descended into disarray as the few MPs present made their views known, before the Commons Speaker called them to order.  

But Starmer was not the only one looking back to previous party records. For the most part, the PM refused to engage with the Labour leader’s questions, opting instead to attack Jeremy Corbyn’s defence legacy; he incorrectly criticised Starmer for standing on a manifesto to elect “a man who wanted to pull this country out of NATO”, and later, “disband the armed services”.

The Labour leader ploughed on with his attack regardless, pointing out the PM’s “pattern” of breaking his election promises on NHS spending, taxes and now the armed forces – and challenged Johnson to put his cut to a vote in the Commons. 

To this, the PM retorted with the pre-prepared line: “We’re pro vax, we’re low tax and when it comes to defence, we’ve got your backs” – a statement made even more painful by the fact that Rishi Sunak recently announced the highest tax increases for 28 years. 

The PM also accused Labour MPs of being “out on the streets” at so-called ‘Kill the Bill’ demonstrations against the crackdown on protests – but was quickly rebuked by the Speaker, who said: “I do not believe any Member of Parliament would support that ‘Kill the Bill’”.

The Labour leader finished his line of attack with what has become one of his favourite tactics – reading Johnson criticism from his own MPs. Quoting the words of Tobias Ellwood, Starmer reported that the Conservative Chair of the Commons Defence Select Committee did not believe the cuts “would pass” if tested by a parliamentary vote, adding: “Not me – his own MPs.”