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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Holly Bishop

Watch live: Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs after Reeves vows winter fuel U-turn

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs on Wednesday (4 June), days after unveiling the UK's defence strategy for the next decade.

On Monday (2 May), the prime minister announced his Strategic Defence Review with the aim to move the UK to “warfighting readiness”.

The government said that it will increase defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product from April 2027.

Sir Keir also announced plans to build up to 12 new attack submarines which will replace the current fleet from the late 2030s onwards, and also confirmed that £15billion will be spent on its nuclear warhead programme.

As the Labour government hikes up defence spending, opposition leaders will likely challenge the Prime Minister over what funding areas will have to be slashed in order to compensate.

He will face questions in the Commons at noon, the majority from the Conservative leader who trivialised the plans as “just an announcement” as “a lot of the things they’ve announced in this strategic defence review require money”.

Badenoch could also press the prime minister on the increasing numbers of small boat crossings.

On Saturday (31 May), more than 1,100 migrants arrived in the UK, the highest number recorded on a single day so far in 2025.

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