Starmer declines to say whether defence spending increase includes Chagos cash

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sir Keir Starmer has declined to say whether money for a deal with the Chagos Islands would come out of the increase in defence spending. The Conservative Party leader asked Sir Keir: “This morning the Defence Secretary could not say if the Chagos deal would come out of the defence budget. “The figures being bandied around are absolutely wide of the mark, the deal is well over a century but the funding I announced yesterday is for our capability to put ourselves in a position to rise to a generational challenge, that is what that money is all about and I thought she supported it.” Mr Healey had been asked on Times Radio whether any potential funding for a deal was being accounted for with the new defence budget. Asked how long the US President should take to consider the agreement, he replied: “I haven’t seen the deal, so I don’t know how long, but I assume he has, and hopefully he will stop it.” On Tuesday a Conservative former defence minister suggested that money earmarked for the Chagos deal could instead be spent on the armed forces.