Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has told John Healey he must find the money to take defence spending to 3% of GDP at the Budget on Wednesday 28 October. She made the demand in a speech in Westminster.
"If, at this Budget, he does not find the money to get to 3%, John Healey has an awful lot of explaining to do."
She said the Government is putting national security at risk by delaying decisions on defence spending, and called the delay "unconscionable". She said Britain could not afford to postpone difficult decisions on defence while security risks mounted.
She said the Chancellor should pay for the extra military spending by cutting welfare and reining in borrowing, London Loves Business reports.
Extracts released before the speech had her warning that "fictional cuts" would not convince gilt investors. They also had her setting out Conservative plans for £70bn of cuts, largely to welfare, civil service numbers and foreign aid.