Keir Starmer will face Kemi Badenoch at PMQs before the chancellor delivers her spring statement John Healey, the defence secretary, has been doing an interview round this morning because overnight the Treasury briefed journalists that Rachel Reeves will announce an extra £2.2bn in defence spending from April in the spring statement. (Presumably that was the story the Treasury press office were hoping would be leading the news bulletins this morning, not the new benefit cuts). In its news release, the Treasury said: The chancellor will announce a further £2.2bn funding increase for defence from April, as she warns that Britain has to “move quickly in a changing world”. The funding will be invested in advanced technologies so that Britain’s armed forces have the tools they need to compete and win in modern warfare. This includes guaranteeing the investment to fit Royal Navy ships with Directed Energy Weapons by 2027. These weapons can hit a £1 coin from 1km away and take down drones at a distance of 5km. In February, the prime minister set out the government’s commitment to increase spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027 and an ambition to spend 3% of GDP on defence in the next parliament as economic and fiscal conditions allow. That was the right decision in a more insecure world, putting an extra £6.4bn into the defence budget by 2027. Continue reading...

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) is holding a rally on 26 March at Darlington Town Hall to protest against cuts to disability benefits