Nigeria: UK Prime Minister: Kemi Badenoch seeking relevance appointed herself saviour of Western Civilisation
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has criticized Conservative Leader, Kemi Badenoch, accusing her of seeking relevance and posing as the saviour of Western civilization.
The criticism comes after Badenoch challenged Starmer over the hike in defence spending, questioning the exact amount of the increase. Starmer announced that the UK will reallocate aid funds to boost military spending to 2.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2027.
Badenoch asked whether any of the new funding would be going towards the multi-billion pound Chagos deal. Starmer responded, saying that Badenoch has “appointed herself, I think saviour of the western civilisation in a desperate search for relevance.”
The exchange occurred during Prime Minister’s Questions, with Badenoch pressing Starmer for clarification on the defence spending increase. Starmer explained that the £13.4 billion increase would be the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Starmer to back the idea of a European rearmament bank to finance a big increase in manufacturing capacity. Starmer replied that there was “an ongoing discussion” with allies about future funding.
A former defence chief of staff, General Sir David Richards, said that the decision to hike UK defence spending had been “accelerated” by President Donald Trump’s actions on Ukraine. Richards believed that the decision was a sound strategic move, but one that “almost certainly would not” be happening if not for Trump.
