But she won’t rule out defence cuts

THERESA May last night refused to rule out defence cuts despite warning about the fresh threat posed by Islamic State as she made her first trip to Iraq.

As she became the first British prime minister to visit the country in almost a decade, Mrs May warned jihadist fighters could slip back into Europe.

During the surprise trip to Baghdad, Mrs May said Britain would step up efforts to stop jihadists dispersing through the Middle East, as well as tackling the spread of propaganda online.

But she repeatedly refused to guarantee that troop numbers would not be cut as she visited a base where British soldiers are stationed. The Prime Minister, whose first visit to a war zone had been kept secret, addressed some of the 600 British troops helping train security forces in the country before holding a one-on-one meeting with Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi.

Despite a manifesto pledge to maintain troop numbers, Mrs May three times refused to guarantee the army will not be reduced in size. She said: ‘We are talking about increasing the amount of money that is being spent on defence.

‘We have given that commitment, we will maintain our Nato commitment of per cent of GDP being spent on defence.’