Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey warned “defence spending needs to increase” after the Israel shot down over 300 drones and missiles sent from Iran over the weekend.

Speaking to Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster on GB News, Healey said: “Everyone recognises that defence spending has to increase because threats are increasing.

“Keir Starmer has confirmed that our ambition would be to see Britain spending 2.5 per cent of what we produce on defence.

“It’s hard to make those firm decisions in opposition. We don’t have access to the military advice or the classified threat assessment, so we’d make those decisions within the first year of a Labour government as part of a big strategic defence review.”

He added: “We have a an important role to play alongside allies as we did over the weekend, its defensive action.

“It was in the face of an utterly unprecedented and unacceptable Iranian attack direct from Iran as well as from militia groups in other countries.

“Israel has demonstrated now that it can defend itself against such an attack. It’s in a strong position to take a step back, to reduce wider tensions in the region, and double its efforts to pursue a ceasefire in Gaza which would help with greater stability. It would help avoid dangerous further escalation.”

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