DAILY MAIL COMMENT: With no one in power willing to commit to the 2030 target on military spending, Labour's smoke and mirrors on defence is plain to see

Published: 19:29, 30 July 2026 | Updated: 19:36, 30 July 2026 It increasingly appears, as Admiral Lord West suggested yesterday, that ‘smoke and mirrors’ are Labour’s principal offerings when it comes to the defence budget. Only ten days after being appointed as Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting repeatedly refused to commit to the 2030 target of 3 per cent of GDP on military spending. It came after Andy Burnham did likewise, preferring instead to move the goalposts to an entirely different Nato deadline. Yet as has become abundantly clear since he received the keys to No10, the Prime Minister is happy to throw public money around in practically every other direction. Even if there is a distinct lack of clarity about where much of that funding is coming from, we have already been told about £2 bus fares, apprenticeship bursaries, lower energy bills, a cut in business rates for pubs and sweeping reform of social care. The list is getting longer by the day. Only last Sunday, Wes Streeting declared that he would resign ‘as a matter of principle’ if Labour fails to bolster military spending. It would be far better for everyone concerned if he started fighting tooth and nail to ensure that the necessary increases are indeed introduced True enough, Mr Burnham signalled his broad commitment to the nuclear deterrent yesterday. But that means precious little in practice if no one in authority is prepared to deliver the essential resources needed for the defence of the realm. Only last Sunday, Mr Streeting declared that he would resign ‘as a matter of principle’ if Labour fails to bolster military spending. It would be far better for everyone concerned if he started fighting tooth and nail to ensure that the necessary increases are indeed introduced. It is the most basic requirement of his job, after all, to make sure our brave Services personnel have everything they need to keep the nation safe. The human tragedy of the Channel boats crisis is sometimes forgotten. But the deaths of four people as they attempted to cross the water from France illustrates the very real toll in the most desperately sad terms. Despite Mr Burnham’s platitudes on the subject, it is clear that the crisis is out of control. The arrival of more than 750 migrants in one day - a record for this year – tells its own story. For their part, the smuggling gangs are now reported to be making up to £300,000 per trip by cramming as many people as possible onto so-called ‘mega-dinghies’. It hardly needs saying that they will continue maximising their profits for as long as they are allowed to get away with it Nor should it need spelling out that the death toll will rise until Mr Burnham’s government gets truly serious about tackling the scourge. It is hard to escape the conclusion that the drought afflicting much of Britain is every bit as much to do with the water companies as it is shifting weather patterns. Due to the shameful failure of many suppliers – whose bosses command vast sums in salaries and bonuses - to repair and upgrade infrastructure, billions of litres of clean water are wasted every day through leaking pipes. If nothing else, the ongoing dry spell – along with wildfires, heat-related deaths and drowning tragedies – should serve as a wake-up call in the event of extreme weather conditions becoming a regular occurrence. Granted, we might all be cowering under umbrellas if rain starts cascading from the skies in three weeks’ time. But that doesn’t mean we won’t face another summer of sweltering heat next year.