The inevitable next question is how will you fund it,” he said.
“The trap that I’ve seen so many previous, particularly Conservative governments fall into is setting out what they would spend or the taxes they would cut without at the same time saying how they will pay for it.”
He added that such a path leads to uncertainty, loss of market confidence, and higher borrowing costs.
“So if it feels like we’re dancing on the head of a pin here.
It’s because we’ve got to maintain as a country, and as a Government, that fiscal discipline,” Streeting said.
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Criticism from Former Military Officials
Former military officials argued that postponing the 3% goal until 2035 leaves the UK vulnerable.
Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon called the 2035 timeline “too little, too late,” while Colonel Richard Kemp described failing to hit 3% by 2030 as a “sign of weakness.”
Streeting was also asked about past critical comments regarding US President Donald Trump, including calling him an “odious sad little man” who supported “racist” policies.
He downplayed the remarks, saying they have not hindered building a good relationship with the US administration.
“The United States is our closest ally, and in defence in particular it is hard to overstate just how close we are,” Streeting said.
On Middle Eastern diplomacy, Streeting commented on Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
“Both in Gaza and in the West Bank, which is under the control of the Palestinian Authority, we’ve seen either the government of Israel – or indeed Israeli settler terrorists in the West Bank – undertaking actions that fall short of the standards that we would expect,” he said.
