UK Edition
Ben Wallace has been accused of failing to make “credible” claims about the state of the Armed Forces.
Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, has reignited a dispute with the Defence Secretary by questioning comments he made to the Commons last month, where he said that the military had been “hollowed out and underfunded”.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is currently embroiled in a row over defence spending in the upcoming Budget, with Mr Wallace said to have asked the Chancellor for £10 billion for his department.
Mr Wallace’s concerns have been backed by senior Whitehall sources, who told The Telegraph: “There is a war in Europe. We are hollowing out our forces. Our allies and partners are all investing in defence. Every single previous prime minister I can think of would have responded to that.”
It came as Mr Wallace announced, during a visit to the Bovington Camp Army base in Dorset, that Britain has started to “warm up” its production lines to replace weapons sent to Ukraine and increase production of artillery shells.
He said: “We have laid contracts. We’ve started to already now receive some deliveries of that for our own restocking and also some of it to Ukraine.”
When asked if he was confident that he could secure an increase in defence spending next month, Mr Wallace added: “For now, I just need to see if there’s any more money I can have... to get me through inflation and get me through some of the other pressures.”
During the visit, the Defence Secretary also suggested that the UK will replace any of the 14 Challenger 2 tanks it is sending to Ukraine if they are destroyed in battle.
When asked if the MoD would replace any tanks lost in the conflict, he said: “Would I be open to more tanks? Yes, I would.”
His comments came after General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of the General Staff, recently warned that his force would be “temporarily weaker” as a result of gifting the tanks to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Mr Mercer said he did not “buy into the narrative of running down defence”, as he praised the size of defence settlements in recent years.
Earlier this month, he told a Coalition for Global Prosperity event: “To say that we are hollowed out, in my view, is a little bit disingenuous.”
In an interview with LBC Radio, Mr Mercer addressed his previous comments, saying: “Ben is engaged in a lobbying effort for his department, as you would expect him to be.
“The facts are that when I came into politics, defence spending was around £38 billion per year. It is just shy of £50 billion a year now. It is obviously not credible to say that the money has been taken out of defence.”
The veterans minister added that in government, he plays “everyone with a straight bat” and added: “That goes across the board, I’m afraid.”
Pressed on this point, Mr Mercer said: “I think he is advocating for his department when a spend is coming up. But this Prime Minister, this Chancellor only 18 months ago gave the biggest defence settlement to defence since the end of the Cold War.
“So it is then not credible to go forward and say that we haven’t put money into defence. I think we have. I think our MoD and military is in terrific shape.
“There is lots to be positive about, so I’m afraid I don’t really buy into the narrative of running down defence.”
Meanwhile, an update to the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy is expected in the coming weeks.
Published in 2021, the review announced a foreign policy “tilt” towards the Indo-Pacific in recognition of China’s growing influence in the region.
In his Autumn Statement last year, Jeremy Hunt said that any increase in defence spending would be based on this update.
The Chancellor said at the time: “The Prime Minister and I both recognise the need to increase defence spending. But before we make that commitment, it is necessary to revise and update the Integrated Review, written as it was before the Ukraine invasion.
“I have asked for that vital work to be completed ahead of the next Budget and today confirm we will continue to maintain the defence budget at least two per cent of GDP to be consistent with our Nato commitment.”
The Defence Secretary added that despite previously expressing his concerns that the British military had been “hollowed out”, the Government was committed to the military.
He said: “Ultimately, I don’t think we are going to be vulnerable for our hollowing out. Remember, this is a conflict against Russia. If Russia is victorious in Ukraine, we will be much, much more vulnerable and insecure than the rest of Europe.
“For about 30 years we have been losing a share of spending but the ambitions of government have grown and that stretch which we saw in the Iraq war, Afghanistan and the Pacific tilt in 2020 has to be paid for, you can’t have more appetite than you can stomach.”
The MoD has been approached for comment.