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IMF warns Burnham to slash public spending to fund Britain's £11bn defence bill

The IMF's intervention puts immediate pressure on Chancellor John Healey to identify which public spending budgets face cuts to fund the defence buildup.
The IMF's intervention puts immediate pressure on Chancellor John Healey to identify which public spending budgets face cuts to fund the defence buildup.

The International Monetary Fund has called on the Burnham government to come clean with voters about the need for departmental cuts to meet a surging defence bill. Reaching a 3% of GDP military spending target by 2030 will cost Britain £11 billion a year, and the government has yet to spell out how that will be financed.

The warning comes ahead of next year's spending review, at which Burnham will be forced to show his hand on public service reductions.

The IMF argues the government has not adequately explained to voters the trade-offs involved, leaving billions unaccounted for in its defence plans.

At £11bn annually, the bill overshadows most domestic budgets, placing schools, welfare and the NHS squarely in the firing line.

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