Britain will pay with the blood of its own people unless more money is provided to the UK's defence sector, warns Penny Mordaunt.

The former defence secretary urges the Labour Government to "wake up" and fund the UK's security properly.

Mordaunt, who is a former Navy reservist, claimed the UK is "emboldening our enemies" through failing to invest in other forms of deterrence.

"I'm confident that if you prepare for war, you invest in it, you train for it, then conflicts don't start," she told The Sun.

The UK has committed to spending 2.5 per cent of its GDP on defence

"Because your foes know it is not worth them doing that. They're going to lose. The consequences of retaliation against them are too great."

The comments come after Sir Keir Starmer said he is committing to spending 2.5 per cent of the UK's GDP by 2027 on defence.

The Government will increase its defence budget from £53.9billion for the 2023/24 financial year, to £59.8billion in 2025/26.

Starmer vowed to make the UK "battle-ready" after US President Donald Trump urged the Government to spend five per cent of our GDP.

Mordaunt said: "The US President pressed us to go further. The Prime Minister said we needed to deliver on all fronts to keep Britain's people safe and their interests secure. Not to do so would be a dereliction of his first duty. I was hopeful.

"This week, we discovered that behind Treasury smoke and mirrors, defence will receive nothing.

"No extra funds, no plan to reach Nato's ask, no assurance to unlock industrial investment, no reassurance to donor allies like the US, or recipient allies such as Ukraine, that we are a serious partner.

"The consequences of this are incalculably grave. If the Prime Minister believed what he told us about the threats we face, then the Government must alter its plans."

Penny Mordaunt has sent a warning to the Labour Government

The news follows escalating tensions in the Middle East and rampant fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

On June 9, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched a record 479 drones overnight. Mayor of Rivne, Oleksandr Tretyak, described it as "the largest attack" on his region.

In the Middle East, Israel and Iran have launched hundreds of missiles at one another, as tensions escalate between the two countries.

World leaders have called for de-escalation after ten people were killed and 170 were injured in Iranian strikes on Israel overnight.