During a press conference in Edinburgh, John Swinney addressed recent statements on defense spending following the passing of his government's budget. The Institute for Fiscal Studies criticized Keir Starmer's claim about £13.4 billion in new defense spending, clarifying that this figure is based on unrealistic assumptions. Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that the true increase is about £6 billion when adjusted for inflation. Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge called for clarity on these figures, emphasizing the importance of transparency in government communications.
"Yes, that's a cash number. If you did it in real terms, taking in inflation, it would be something over 6bn. Either way, this is a big boost for defence."
"The government needs to produce clarity. Yesterday the PM said defence spending was rising by 13.4bn. Today his Defence Secretary says 6bn. Which is it?"
"It will allow us to strengthen our armed forces, it will allow us to use defence as an engine for driving economic growth in this country."
"Transparency matters & we urgently need clarity. In fact, we don't urgently need clarity. We have clarity; 6bn is the more accurate figure."
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