Rishi Sunak pledges £5bn to help UK 'stand its ground' - HALF what was asked for
Rishi Sunak has unveiled plans to boost the UK’s defence budget by £5bn - less than half of what his defence chief demanded.
In a new defence and security review, the Prime Minister said the UK must be ready to "stand our ground" as he announced the Ministry of Defence would get an extra £2bn this year and nearly £3bn the year after.
The funds will be used to replenish ammunition stocks diminished by the war in Ukraine and fund the new Aukus submarine pact with the US and Australia.
But the decision may come as a blow to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who demanded £11bn for Britain’s armed forces over the next two years to keep up with inflation.
It comes as Mr Sunak jetted to California to meet US President Joe Biden and Australian PM Albanese on Monday to finalise plans to replace Australia's ageing equipment with cutting edge nuclear submarines.
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But at home he risked a row over defence spending ahead of Wednesday's Budget.
Mr Wallace, a former Captain in the Scots Guards who served in Northern Ireland, has been pushing the Government to pump more cash into the military.
Mr Sunak is on his way to San Diego to meet Joe Biden and the Australian PM (Getty Images)He told MPs in January that the army had been "hollowed out and underfunded" after years of cutbacks.
Troop numbers are being slashed to from 82,000 to 73,000 by 2025, and the PM has been under pressure to halt the cuts.
Mr Sunak insists the UK isn't scaling back its defence.
He told reporters travelling with him to the US: “The UK is increasing its ambitions when it comes to defence spending.
"If you look at the track record, when I was Chancellor we announced the biggest uplift in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, that’s something actually I worked on with the Defence Secretary. What we are announcing today builds on that.”
Mr Sunak will set out an ambition to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP in the “longer term”, which will be discussed with international allies this summer, No10 said.
Vladimir Putin's Russia is named as the greatest risk to European security in the review, which also warned of China's threat to the UK's economic security.
Ben Wallace wanted £11bn more for the military (PA)But the Prime Minister appeared to soften his stance towards Beijing by refusing to adopt Liz Truss's plan to formally brand China "a threat".
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He said: “China represents a country that has very different values to ours and I think it presents an epoch defining challenge to us and the global order.
“It’s a regime that is increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad and has a desire to reshape the world order. We recognise it as the biggest threat to our economic security.
“I don’t think it is smart and sophisticated foreign policy to reduce our relationship with China - a country that has 1.5billion people, the second biggest economy, a member of the UN Security Council - to just two words.”
Sir Peter Wall, a former Chief of the General Staff, said that the war in Ukraine had laid bare the extent of military cutbacks in the UK since 2010.
Mr Sunak will sit down with Joe Biden in San Diego (Loen Neal/AP/REX/Shutterstock)"Since the 2010 defence review, there have been very significant reductions in resources for all three armed services," he told LBC.
"I think one of the things that the Ukraine War is highlighting is that contrary to 21st Century expectations, you do need vast stocks of ammunition. You cannot rely solely on the most sophisticated weapons.
"And against that backdrop, our military at the moment certainly is hollowed out, yes."
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said: “The Conservatives are failing to secure Britain’s national defence for the future.
“The Tories crashed the economy and sent inflation soaring, squeezing defence budgets even further as threats to the UK were increasing.
"This announcement does not deal with capability gaps that weaken our national defence and undermine the UK’s NATO contribution.
“When 25 other NATO nations have already rebooted defence plans and spending since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Conservatives are still dragging their feet on the big decisions."
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "The Defence Secretary is delighted with the settlement, especially in these economically challenging times. The Prime Minister has continued his support from 2020, where record sums were invested in defence and is determined to show Europe-wide leadership.
“This settlement and the commitment of an upward trajectory, carries on that momentum. The Department will work to deliver the longer term pledge of 2.5% of GDP.
“The Defence Secretary looks forward to working with the Prime Minister and the Treasury to make sure that our Armed Forces receive the investment now and into the future to keep us all safe."
Tory Foreign Affairs Committee chair Alicia Kearns said: “I welcome the recognition of the threat of China, but this threat cannot be seen as primarily economic, that is to fail to understand China is foremost seeking to undermine our national security and sovereignty.
"Because no county can have economic security without national security."
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