Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Ministers' Questions session. Andy Burnham ruled out slashing the welfare budget to boost defence spending as he clashed at PMQs with Kemi Badenoch. The Tory leader demanded to know if the government will spend 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on the military by 2030, on its way to achieving the Nato target of spending 3.5% by 2035. John Healey quit as defence secretary in June over Keir Starmer’s failure to commit to the 3% target – but has so far refused to commit to doing so now that he is chancellor. Badenoch has said a Conservative government would find the extra cash by cutting the welfare budget. But Burnham told her: “We do everything to support national security, but it can’t come at the expense of social security. “Having strong national security also depends upon having resilience in our communities. “This side of the house will not be forced to choose between the two, and we will set out a plan to get to 3.5% by 2035 at the spending review.” 🚨 BREAKING: Andy Burnham suggests he won't cut benefits to pay for defence spending "National security cannot come at the expense of social security" #PMQspic.twitter.com/uTTjJJ9Y0b — Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) September 9, 2026 Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... 'Unforgivable': John Healey Accused Of Defence Spending U-Turn Wes Streeting Suggests He Could Resign If Government Does Not Meet Defence Spending Pledge Exclusive: Count Climate Spending As Part Of Defence Budget, Say Greens