Williamson’s new defence swipe at May
He calls UK a ‘tier one’ power after PM plays down future of military
BRITAIN will always be a ‘tier one’ military power, the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has insisted.
Speaking during a visit to America, he said the UK would continue to be ‘reliable partners for the long term’.
His comments will be seen as a swipe at Theresa May, who earlier this year refused to state explicitly that the UK would remain a ‘tier one’ power.
The Prime Minister would only say she wanted Britain to be a ‘leading defence nation’ amid reports of clashes with Mr Williamson over the future of defence spending levels.
Addressing the Atlantic Council in Washington yesterday, Mr Williamson also used a wide-ranging speech to serve Donald Trump with a pointed reminder of the value of Nato to America – and to accuse Russia of ‘adopting the tactics of terrorists’.
He told an audience at the think-tank: ‘Britain is a major global actor. We have always been a tier one military power and we always will be a tier one military power.’
The Defence Secretary pointed to the UK’s independent nuclear deterrent, ‘world class’ special forces and cyber capabilities, and ‘exceptional’ conventional forces ‘able to deploy independently around the globe’ as evidence of Britain’s status.
He urged the audience to ‘please never underestimate my nation’ and said Britain ‘will change the world in the future’, as it has done in the past ‘time and time again’. And in a stark message to Donald Trump, he said it was ‘worth remembering’ that European nations are not the only ones to benefit from the Nato alliance.
The Defence Secretary highlighted that the only time Article 5 has ever been triggered was after the 9/11 terror attacks.
The clause – which commits members to come to the defence of an ally under attack – saw Britain stand ‘side-byside’ with America after the atrocities in 2001, he said.
His remarks come after President Trump last month claimed Nato benefits Europe ‘far more’ than the United States and berated European allies for not spending enough on defence.
Mr Williamson is also said to have clashed with Theresa May with repeated calls for more money for defence. And during one meeting earlier this year, Mrs May was reported to have questioned Britain’s ‘tier one’ military status – a move which was said to have sent ‘shockwaves’ through the Ministry of Defence.
She was later asked at a press conference to confirm she wants Britain to remain a ‘tier one’ power, but she would only say Britain should be a ‘leading defence nation’. There is no set definition of a ‘tierone’ military power, but it is generally thought to be a nation which has the ability to deploy the full-spectrum of nuclear, conventional and cyber forces around the globe.
The Defence Secretary also accused Russia of ‘adopting the tactics of terrorists’ following the Salisbury nerve agent attack in March, which left one dead and three injured, including a former doubleagent and his daughter.
He described Russia as ‘increasingly aggressive’ and responsible for a pattern of ‘malign behaviour’, including political subversion and increased military posturing.