Image source, House of Commons

This week's session of Prime Minister's Questions brought defence spending to the forefront, with opposition parties pressing Keir Starmer over delays in publishing the government's defence investment plan.

And on Iran, the prime minister said he was "not going to yield" to Donald Trump's pressure to join the war.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch pressed Starmer on criticisms made by Lord Robertson, author of the government's strategic defence review, that the PM has a "corrosive complacency" on defence.

Starmer said he disagreed with the comments, adding that the government has committed to "the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War" - BBC Verify has looked at the numbers.

Badenoch said "talking about an increase is not the same as giving an increase". Speaking in the Commons later, Labour MP and chair of the Defence Select Committee Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, said "the government's rhetoric must align with reality".

Badenoch asked Starmer why the plan would not be published before the end of the current Parliament session in two weeks, when the government had previously committed to publishing it last autumn.

Starmer said it would be published "as soon as possible", while defence minister Luke Pollard later said the government was "working flat out" to publish it.

We're ending our live coverage. Read more:

• Starmer 'not going to yield' to pressure from Trump on Iran war
• Starmer challenged over defence investment plan delay

Lib Dem defence spokesperson James MacCleary says the failure to publish the defence investment plan is undermining Britain's security, and asks the government to convene cross-party talks focused on hitting 3% of GDP spending on defence.

Pollard says he hoped MacClearey "would have some humility about his own record", saying the Lib Dems cut defence spending when they were in coalition with the Conservatives, and again insisting Labour is putting in more funding.

Deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice also presses Pollard on defence spending and asks if the investment plan will arrive "before the summer holidays". He says "the mood of the majority of the British people" is for the government to "accelerate defence spending" in this Parliament.

Pollard hits back that if Tice "would like to give some of the money that his former Reform leader in Wales got from Russia to the defence budget, we'd have a wee bit more than we have today" - but doesn't add anything more in response to the question.

• For context, Nathan Gill - former leader of Reform UK in Wales - was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison in November 2025 after admitting he had taken bribes to give pro-Russia interviews and speeches.

Image source, House of Commons

Image source, PA Media

Much of the back and forth at Prime Minister's Questions today swirled around the delay in the government's promised defence investment plan.

Ministers had promised to publish it before Christmas, but recent reports suggest it is still being argued over within government.

It's a 10-year plan that will set out how the government will fund a series of recommendations to bolster the UK's security, that have been laid out in the strategic defence review - which the government commissioned.

The review was written by a former Nato secretary general - and previous Labour defence secretary - Lord George Robertson.

On Tuesday, he condemned repeated delays to publish the investment plan, and stated that the prime ministerwas "not willing to make the necessary investment".

Defence minister Luke Pollard has denied the claims, saying that government is "working flat out" to publish the plan.

Starmer told the Commons earlier today that the defence investment plan will be released "as soon as possible".

Read defence correspondent Jonathan Beale: Criticism of complacency on defence spending will sting government

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, says Lord Robertson's intervention is "sobering" and aligns with what the defence committee has been highlighting for several months: "That we are ill prepared to face the threats."

"The government's rhetoric must align with reality," he says, urging the government to get to 3% of GDP on defence spending in this Parliament.

He asks the minister if he can confirm when the defence investment plan will be published, adding that any further delays would send the wrong signals to allies and adversaries.

Defence minister Luke Pollard repeats his criticism of the inheritance left by the Tories, and says the government commissioned the Strategic Defence Review and has accepted its recommendations.

The government is announcing defence contracts regularly, he adds.

Image source, House of Commons

Image source, House of Commons

Defence minister Luke Pollard responds to the Conservatives' urgent question on the Strategic Defence Review by saying the government has accepted all 62 of its recommendations.

He says the defence investment plan is a 10-year plan and the government must "get it right" but that it is working flat out to deliver it, adding plans inherited from the Conservatives were underfunded.

He says the government is spending more on defence this year than any year under the previous 14 years of successive Tory governments.

Shadow defence minister Mark Francois says Labour's rhetoric on defence "simply does not match the financial reality", saying the Ministry of Defence was forced to make "£2.6bn of crippling in-year cuts" last year.

He pushes for a clear timetable on publication for the defence investment plan.

Image source, Reuters

Starmer told the House of Commons during PMQs that he's "not going to yield" to pressure from US President Donald Trump over the war in Iran.

The UK prime minister said last month that the conflict was "not our war", but he's faced repeated pressure from Trump. Here's a brief overview:

• "Not Winston Churchill": Since the US and Israel began strikes against Iran on 28 February,Trump has publicly expressed his irritation with Starmer for not allowing the use of British military bases to launch strikes against Iran - saying Starmer was "not Winston Churchill"

• "Should have acted a lot faster": On 1 March, Starmer green-lit the use of UK bases for "defensive strikes" to protect UK personnel and allies from Iran's retaliation, and later allowed the use of bases to hit Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said Starmer "should have acted a lot faster"
• Oil and gas: Yesterday Trump publicly criticised the UK government's decision to ban new licences for oil and gas fields, calling it "absolutely crazy" when "Europe is desperate for energy, and yet the United Kingdom refuses to open North Sea Oil"
• Nato criticism: Trump has repeatedly criticised the Nato alliance - of which the UK is a part. "NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN," he said last week on social media

Image source, House of Commons

The prime minister and opposition leader kicked off their first exchange after a two-week break for the Easter holidays on the topic of defence.

• Keir Starmer maintained that the defence investment plan will be published "as soon as possible", saying the government inherited plans that were "uncosted and undeliverable"
• Badenoch had pressed the prime minister on why the plan would not be published before the current Parliament session ends in two weeks, after it was promised to be published last autumn

• Badenoch said she offered to work with the PM on identifying welfare savings to help fund defence - Starmer said his government is already doing both of those things
• The two clashed repeatedly on defence, with Badenoch questioning Starmer's commitment and the PM criticising the Tories' record and insisting funding for the armed forces is increasing

PMQs has now come to an end - the Commons is now hearing an urgent question on the government's plans to fund the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review. We'll be bringing you the key lines.

Is the government making the biggest increase in defence spending since Cold War?published at 12:31 BST

12:31 BST

By Anthony Reuben

The prime minister said "I remind the House that we put in place the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War."

The government is currently planning to spend 2.5% of the size of the economy measured by GDP on defence by April 2027.

But if you look at this chart from the House of Commons Library, external you’ll see that it doesn’t take much to achieve the biggest increase in defence spending since the Cold War.

In the 1950s, defence spending was over 7% of GDP.

In 1990 after the Berlin Wall came down it was 3.3%, and since then it has at times fallen below 2% as successive governments took advantage of what’s been called the "peace dividend".

The plan to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence would eclipse any small increases since the 1990s.

You can read more about how the size of the UK military has fallen in this piece.

Image source, House of Commons

Families returning home from holidays are facing long queues at EU country border controls in airports despite a deal that the government promised would allow them to "sail through", says Davey.

He calls this a symbol of the "government's failure" to repair "the Brexit disaster".

Starmer says he was "pleased" to negotiate a deal on this last summer, and that the government is "pushing hard on that".

There is another summit this year to bring UK-EU relations even closer, he says.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey says US President Donald Trump, in a call with Sky News yesterday, threatened to "rip up" his trade deal with UK "as punishment for us not joining his idiotic war in Iran".

"Surely the prime minister can't send our King to meet a man who treats our country like a mafia boss running a protection racket," Davey says.

Starmer says the UK is "not going to get dragged into this war" in Iran. "I'm not going to change my mind, I'm not going to yield," he says.

In relation to the King's visit, he says the purpose is to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, and the relationship it has with Britain.

The monarchy "is an important reminder of the longstanding bonds" between the two countries, says Starmer.

Badenoch says the Tories approved an upgrade to destroyers in January 2024 to allow them to better intercept ballistic missiles.

She says the prime minister paused the plan in July 2024, and asks him if he will fund such an upgrade now.

Starmer says Badenoch is asking people to "forget the fact" that the Tories "hollowed out the armed forces".

He also accuses the Tory leader of insulting Britain's armed forces, saying she said they were just "hanging around".

Image source, House of Commons

Badenoch says this a moment of "profound national seriousness, and what are they doing, they're promoting sex toys in parliament".

It appears to be a reference to a campaign from a backbench Labour MP who has called for "lifelong sex education" in a bid to improve public health and safety.

Badenoch then references reports that the Treasury is asking the Ministry of Defence to make £3.5bn worth of cuts this year. She asks if Starmer will put the money saved from the paused Chagos Islands deal into defence.

Starmer says his government is spending "record amounts on defence," as he goes on to defend Chancellor Rachel Reeves,saying her decisions have enabled "the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War".

Badenoch says that the prime minister "loves to misrepresent my position" on Iran.

She says she offered on Monday to work with him to "identify welfare savings the UK needs" and asks if he will work with the Conservatives and "find savings to fund defence".

Labour is "reforming welfare" and "spending more on defence", says Starmer.

He accuses the Conservatives of doing "neither", and says the "welfare bill rose by £88bn on their watch".

Taking advice from the Conservatives "is like asking Liz Truss how to keep your mortgage down", he says.

Badenoch says "talking about an increase is not the same as giving an increase".

She also says the PM promised the defence investment plan would be published last autumn. The Tory leader says she asked Starmer about it six weeks ago, and he "had no idea".

Her question is: "What's the hold up?"

Starmer says the plan is "the first line-by-line review of defence budgets for 18 years".

He says leaders need to make the "right calls on the big issues" to keep the country safe, saying Badenoch "called for us to jump into the war".

Image source, House of Commons

Badenoch continues by saying Robertson said the UK was "under-prepared, under-insured and under attack", and that the country's national security was "in peril".

She asks Starmer why he won't publish the defence investment plan before the current Parliament session ends in two weeks.

The prime minister says the government is spending £5bn more on defence this year, adding that the Tories had reduced defence spending from 2.5% to 2.3% between the time they entered government and left.

He also says they cut the army from 100,000 personnel to 72,000 - and that the numbers of frigates and destroyers was cut by 25% over the same time.

Starmer says he respects Lord Robertson and he thanked him for carrying out the Strategic Defence Review.

The PM says his responsibility is to keep the British people safe, and "that's why I don't agree with his comments".

He goes on to outline the measures he's taken since taking office to increase defence spending, and points to a decision in February to increase defence spending from 2.3% to 2.6% of GDP.

The PM says the defence investment plan will be published "as soon as possible". "We need to get it right, we inherited plans that were uncosted and undeliverable," he says.

Image source, House of Commons

Leader of the Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch is on her feet.

She says to Starmer that Lord Robertson, who authored the government's Strategic Defence Review, has said the prime minister has a "corrosive complacency" when it comes to defence.

"Why did he say that?" she asks.

Image source, House of Commons

Starmer begins with the Southport inquiry's first report, calling it "truly harrowing".

He says the government will make the changes needed to "honour" the victims and their families.

The PM also reiterates his commitment to deliver a Hillsborough Law - today marks 37 years since the disaster.

Image source, House of Commons

Keir Starmer is now on his feet, which means Prime Minister's Questions is starting.

We'll be providing you with updates and analysis, and you can also follow along by pressing watch live above.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Also on the minds of many MPs today will be the elections happening in England, Scotland and Wales in just a few weeks.

Millions of voters will head to the polls on 7 May for local elections in England and elections to the national parliaments of Scotland and Wales.

It's the biggest set of elections since the 2024 general election and a key test for all the parties.

To vote in person on 7 May, you must be on the electoral register by 23:59 BST on Monday 20 April. Check out who you can vote for in your area with this BBC tool.

And you can read our guide to the 7 May elections here.