Shapps clashes with unions over cuts to fund the Army
Evening Standard|April 24, 2024
MINISTERS locked horns with union chiefs today after vowing to fund an extra £75 billion for defence partly through thousands of Civil Service job cuts.
Jitendra Joshi
Shapps clashes with unions over cuts to fund the Army

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps insisted the hefty investment needed to take military spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP would not come from new borrowing, and that the Government could still afford pre-election tax cuts.

The money was promised by Rishi Sunak during a visit to Poland yesterday just weeks after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt cut 2p from National Insurance in his March Budget but was unable to find any new money for defence, to the strong disappointment of Conservative Right-wingers.

The PM headed on to Berlin today for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. They were expected to announce plans for joint development of remote-controlled howitzer 155mm wheeled artillery systems to be fitted to armoured fighting vehicles, as both nations up their support for Ukraine against Vladimir Putin's Russia.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM EVENING STANDARDView all
Kylie Minogue loves the bar at Louie, startling Beefeaters and snooping in The Conran Shop
The London Standard

Kylie Minogue loves the bar at Louie, startling Beefeaters and snooping in The Conran Shop

Currently it’s largely suitcase-based as I’ve been doing so much travel for work, but Melbourne, Australia, is home.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 12, 2024
Are Spurs willing to invest what it takes to win trophies?
The London Standard

Are Spurs willing to invest what it takes to win trophies?

Criticism of the manager for the club's struggles misses the point-whatever he says, he's not been given a squad ready to push for the biggest honours

time-read
3 mins  |
December 12, 2024
Crowning glory awaits Britain's golden girl
The London Standard

Crowning glory awaits Britain's golden girl

Odds-on favourite to win BBC Sports Personality, Keely Hodgkinson never doubted she was ready to conquer the world

time-read
6 mins  |
December 12, 2024
Residents at war over £10 billion 'Shanghai-style' Earl's Court plan
The London Standard

Residents at war over £10 billion 'Shanghai-style' Earl's Court plan

Controversial proposals are causing a huge furore in west London

time-read
4 mins  |
December 12, 2024
The secrets of selling the capital's £40m homes
The London Standard

The secrets of selling the capital's £40m homes

Armed security, NDAs, a gold temple...inside the world of ultra high-end property deals

time-read
4 mins  |
December 12, 2024
Jenny Packham on Amsterdam why is truly magical at Christmas time
The London Standard

Jenny Packham on Amsterdam why is truly magical at Christmas time

The designer gets lost in the cobbled streets and is entranced by the city’s twinkling lights and unique spirit

time-read
3 mins  |
December 12, 2024
Alfies Antique Market
The London Standard

Alfies Antique Market

Here is a place to blindly lose oneself in a labyrinth of staircases and thresholds.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 12, 2024
Decline and fall: what comes after peak wellness?
The London Standard

Decline and fall: what comes after peak wellness?

The social elite are obsessed with devices that track their health but the backlash is building

time-read
2 mins  |
December 12, 2024
The newest AI can arrange your holiday- but will it be a strictly woke one?
The London Standard

The newest AI can arrange your holiday- but will it be a strictly woke one?

A lightning-quick artificial megabrain with an appetite for social justice? WILLIAM HOSIE has a chat with Claude Al

time-read
4 mins  |
December 12, 2024
'Fame just isn't healthy
The London Standard

'Fame just isn't healthy

Mercury Prize-winning band English Teacher on the pressure of success, trying not to burn out and the challenges black women face in indie music

time-read
5 mins  |
December 12, 2024