While he managed to secure extra funding for defense as part of the plan, much of it is meant to come from savings which have not yet been identified, leaving a significant challenge for the newcomer at the Ministry of Defence.
Streeting has made several interventions on defense spending since he resigned from Starmer’s government this past spring, endorsing the idea of “war bonds” to raise money and arguing for the scrapping of outdated military programs.
He has, however, never held a foreign-facing brief, and would face skepticism from those who believe the ministry should ideally be led by a veteran.
