Defence won’t face £20billion budget cuts, hints minister
LIAM Fox has hinted at a ‘ compromise’ on defence spending after Tory MPs raised concerns about cuts.
The International Trade Secretary spoke up after several MPs voiced worries, including former army officers Johnny Mercer and Tom Tugendhat.
The Ministry of Defence has asked the Army, Navy and RAF to suggest options for cuts in a bid to save £20billion.
Last night it was reported that the Armed Forces will not receive any extra funding, as the focus turns to fighting cyber-attacks.
The Army has already been reduced from 120,000 to 78,000 soldiers. Last week it was reported that defence minister Tobias Ellwood had threatened to quit if the number of army personnel is reduced by a further 12,000.
The Government insists the proposal is not on the table.
Yesterday Dr Fox, a former Defence Secretary himself, told Sky News there was an ‘ongoing discussion’.
‘I’m afraid it’s not unknown for some of these tensions to spill over into the public domain,’ he said. ‘I think we should wait and see exactly what sort of compromise we reach – because that’s what it will be – and remember that the UK has the fourth biggest military budget in the world and is one of the very few Nato countries actually fulfilling promises to spend and help protect our partners.’
Dr Fox said there had been similar tensions during his time at the Ministry of Defence. ‘There’s always a lot of tension, not just between the MoD and the Treasury but also inside the MoD between the different parts of the Armed Forces, and naturally there are concerns about the future shape of that,’ he said.
Last night the Daily Telegraph reported that Mark Sedwill, the National Security Adviser, believes it is more important to increase funding to fight cyber-attacks than bolster the Armed Forces.
It quoted an anonymous minister who said Mr Sedwill ‘is determined to screw over the MoD’ because he wants more money to tackle threats in cyberspace. The MoD said the report was ‘speculation’.
Last week, a senior US general warned that cuts to the UK’s Armed Forces threaten its status as a world power. Lieutenant- General Ben Hodges warned the UK’s position as a key ally and a leading Nato member would be at risk if its forces shrink further.
Troops are currently deployed alongside US forces training in Iraq and Afghanistan, and bolster the defences of Eastern Europe against Russia. Mr Mercer, a member of the Commons defence select committee, tweeted yesterday about significant unease across the party.
‘It’s a campaign, not a silver bullet, to get defence back where it needs to be,’ he said. He has warned party leadership that ‘feelings are running high’ over the threat of cuts.
Mr Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons’ foreign affairs select committee, tweeted that defence cuts would be ‘a false economy’.
Sir Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, tweeted: ‘The Conservative parliamentary party has a duty now to unite against further defence cuts.’
He is one of 25 Tory MPs who sent a letter to the new Defence Secretary warning the potential loss of amphibious assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark would ‘dangerously limit the options’ available to the forces.
The Ministry of Defence said no decisions had been made.