Tories demand John Healey RESIGNS unless Budget fully meets 3% defence spending target

THE Tories have demanded that John Healey resigns unless his Budget fully meets his three per cent defence spending target. The Chancellor will unveil billions of pounds of new defence funds in a surprise announcement in his first Budget on Wednesday. Money is also expected to be pumped into two giant investment funds which will then be invested in UK defence companies including drone manufacturers. Mr Healey had called for defence spending to rise to 3 per cent by 2030 – and had quit as defence secretary in June when ex-PM refused to commit to a substantial rise. Shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith on Saturday demanded Mr Healey resign if he fails to set out how it will reach the target he himself set. He said: “By the end of his Budget statement, John Healey must have fully funded 3 per cent defence spending, or resign. READ MORE ON DEFENCE “We are living in an era of extraordinary threats. “And yet the Chancellor is dithering over finding the money to pay the country’s insurance premium.” He said he would lay out a path to hitting his target at the 2027 spending review. The Conservatives have said they would fund defence by cutting benefits. Most read in The Sun The UK has just signed up to hit Nato’s target of spending 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2035. But the UK Government currently only spends around 2.6 per cent of GDP.