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No, Burnham isn’t refusing to spend more on defence – spending is rising

23/10/2026

Hacked Off

Newspaper
Daily Mail
✕ Press claim

The Prime Minister “won’t spend more on defence” and is “wasting a fortune” on emergency-preparedness advice.

✓ The truth

UK defence spending is rising, to about 2.56% of GDP in 2026, and the Government says it is committed to 3.5% by 2035. No cost for the advice campaign has been published.

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Fight back: Daily Mail claimed the Prime Minister “won’t spend more on defence” and is “wasting a fortune” on emergency-preparedness advice. The truth: UK defence spending is rising, to about 2.56% of GDP in 2026, and the Government says it is committed to 3.5% by 2035. No cost for the advice campaign has been published.

On 22 October 2026, the Daily Mail published a story headlined “Nanny Burnham won’t spend more on defence but is wasting a fortune lecturing us on stockpiling tins, water, loo roll and a wind-up radio in case of a national emergency”.

This headline is inaccurate.

First, the Government is spending more on defence, and the figure is rising. Full Fact’s government tracker estimates UK defence spending at about 2.56% of GDP in 2026. At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham said the Government was committed to 3.5% of GDP by 2035. What he has declined to do is commit to 3% by 2030.

Second, no cost has been published for the emergency advice campaign. The Cabinet Office announcement gives none, and asks households only for a small supply of food and water. The article offers no figure behind “a fortune”.

This story reached up to 16.2 million people.

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