Wallace claims victory in battle for increased defence spending

BEN WALLACE has claimed he is on the verge of agreeing an increased funding package for the Ministry of Defence with Jeremy Hunt and Rishi Sunak.

The MOD is currently embroiled in a row over its finances, with the Defence Secretary reportedly seeking an extra £10billion from the Chancellor.

Speaking on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mr Wallace said his department was “not very far away” from a deal, to be announced at the Budget next month.

He stressed that the extra funds are needed to counter the threats that have emerged since 2020 – a necessity that Mr Sunak “gets”, he said .

Mr Wallace said that both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have demonstrated that they “recognised defence needed more money” and he is “pretty confident that we will get somewhere”.

He told Times Radio one use for the funds is “to make sure that the threats that have emerged since the defence command paper back in 2020, that we can find some funding to meet that – and we are not very far away.

“I am pretty confident. I certainly know that the Prime Minister gets it.”

Senior Whitehall sources have backed Mr Wallace’s concerns over the Mod’s budget following Russia’s invasion. One told The Daily Telegraph: “There is a war in Europe. We are hollowing out our forces. Our allies are all investing in defence. Every previous prime minister would have responded to that.”

Mr Wallace also sought to allay concerns over the Mod’s fleet of Ajax tanks, the noise and vibration of which left soldiers with ear damage. The £5.5billion project has been “troubled” since its 2010 launch, he admitted, with not one of the 589 tanks ready for deployment.

At a visit to an army camp in Dorset this week, he said better cushions and ear defenders mean the project has “turned a corner”.