National security can’t come at expense of social security, Burnham tells PMQs

Badenoch presses Burnham on welfare billpublished at 12:22 BST

12:22 BST

Kemi Badenoch calls Burnham’s stance on defence funding “unbelievable”.

The Tory leader says Chris Rokos, the UK’s third biggest taxpayer, has announced he is leaving the UK – which she says will lose the country an estimated £330 million in tax.

She says his taxes could be spent on defence, but instead the “benefits bill is set to rise”.

Badenoch adds that the PM could also use money from the Rosebank oil field, which the government has not yet approved, as money for defence.

The PM says Badenoch would make “crude cuts to housing benefits” to house defence. Instead, the “Labour way” has set out plans for more social housing, which he says will save billions from housing benefit.

Burnham adds that Labour will address a lack of young people in work “to get the welfare bill down”.

“That is the way to fund defence,” he adds.