Kemi Badenoch has launched a scathing attack on Sir Keir Starmer by accusing him of a “total dereliction of duty” over defending spending failures. The Conservative Party leader tore into the Prime Minister during a Commons clash yesterday (WED) for leaving Andy Burnham a “mess”.

She urged the wannabe PM, who was absent from the chamber for the weekly bout, to condemn the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) which has a £5billion blackhole.

Mrs Badenoch told MPs the “plan has unravelled, it is a total dereliction of duty”. She said: “Even the limited plan that he has announced has completely unravelled because he hasn’t found the money to pay for it. It is £5 billion short.

“We all know that he is leaving this mess to his successor. So, can he confirm that the member for Makerfield has agreed to fund the shortfall?”

The DIP will see a £15 billion boost in defence spending, largely funded by cuts to other departments’ capital budgets. But Rachel Reeves’s Treasury has yet to spell out how it will fund almost a third of the increase, leaving £4.7 billion of funding to be set out at the next budget.