Hammond takes shot at Defence Secretary
Chancellor escalates spat with Williamson by saying Defence Secretary hasn’t got to grips with new brief
Philip Hammond suggested that Gavin Williamson is yet to grasp the complexities of his defence budget as a row between the pair escalated. The Chancellor said that the Defence Secretary would want to discuss funding once he “had a chance to understand the situation in the Ministry of Defence”.
PHILIP HAMMOND suggested yesterday that Gavin Williamson was yet to get to grips with the complexities of the defence budget as a row between the pair escalated. An extraordinary briefing war between the Chancellor and the Defence Secretary erupted in recent days over budget cuts to the Armed Forces, with Mr Hammond reportedly banned from using RAF jets and helicopters until the Treasury settled a bill for his official travel.
Mr Hammond appeared to pour fuel on the fire as he suggested that Mr Williamson would want to meet to discuss the defence budget once he fully understood his new brief.
The Chancellor made the comments at a Treasury Select Committee hearing, when he also denied reports that he was cutting funding to the Armed Forces and indicated that he would be sympathetic to a request for extra cash from the Ministry of Defence.
Mr Hammond said: “There is no question of the defence budget being cut. The defence budget is being increased but I recognise also the defence is facing some pressures, particularly around currency movement. A lot of defence procurement is denominated in US dollars.
“Defence is probably the most complicated budget area in government.
“Very long gestation capital programmes, often with very high levels of technical risk in the execution of those programmes, [make it] very difficult to predict exactly what defence will be doing at a point in the future because clearly the threat pattern changes and the response to it changes.
“I expect that once he has had a chance to understand the situation in the Ministry of Defence and to get his head around the defence budget, the new Defence Secretary will be wanting to come and talk to me, and he will find no one more sympathetic to the challenges of defence than me.”
A report in The Times claimed the MOD had told officials not to accept any more bookings from the Chancellor for travel until a six-figure sum for flights with No 32 (The Royal Squadron) was paid. The Prime Minister’s spokesman acknowledged that there was an “administrative discussion” under way between the two departments.
The spokesman told reporters: “My understanding is the Chancellor used a government jet yesterday. I gather there is an administrative discussion going on. This matter is being resolved.” n Mr Williamson has said that British jihadists that remain in Syria and Iraq will be hunted down and killed. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he added that a “dead terrorist can’t cause any harm to Britain”.