Badenoch urges Labour to cut welfare spending for defence boost

Badenoch plans to offer the Conservative Party's cooperation to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, suggesting a sit-down meeting to agree on a strategy for bringing down welfare expenditure. She stated that this is an offer to work together "in the national interest" to find common ground and a "serious plan." However, a Labour source has already dismissed the proposal as a "gimmick."

The Conservative party leader is also expected to reaffirm her party's commitment to the two-child benefit cap, a policy that Labour faces pressure to scrap. Badenoch intends to criticize Chancellor Rachel Reeves, accusing her of creating a "tax doom loop" that could double the deficit in five years and push Britain closer to a bond crisis.

This initiative follows the appointment of Pat McFadden as the new Work and Pensions Secretary, who has focused on skills training to reduce long-term unemployment. Badenoch's speech comes amid concerns about the UK's public finances, with government borrowing costs having recently reached highs not seen since 1998.