Burnham Weighs UK War Bonds to Boost Defense Spending as Starmer Rejects More Borrowing
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jul 8
Burnham Weighs UK War Bonds to Boost Defense Spending as Starmer Rejects More Borrowing
2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jul 8
Summary
Senior defense officials are pressing Andy Burnham to revisit looser UK fiscal rules, including issuing war bonds, as a way to raise military funding.
Burnham, expected to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister later this month, and senior aides are set to examine multiple financing options after privately assuring cabinet ministers they want higher defense spending.
The push sets up a break with Starmer, who has repeatedly dismissed war bonds as simply another form of borrowing.
The debate centers on how a new government could expand military spending without sticking to the current fiscal constraints.