Wallace’s Nato role hangs on Army funds

JEREMY HUNT must commit to a big boost in defence spending in Wednesday’s Budget or Ben Wallace will stand no chance of becoming Nato’s next chief, alliance sources have warned.

The Defence Secretary is a candidate to replace Jens Stoltenberg as Nato secretary general this autumn.

The post would be a coup for Britain after Brexit and Mr Wallace has said it would be a “great” job to have.

But despite Mr Wallace being well-regarded, and the UK’s leadership over the war in Ukraine, there are concerns about the Army after years of underinvestment.

“Everyone noticed what Wallace has been saying about the defence spending,” one Nato source said. “If he doesn’t get a good increase, it is likely that the next secretary general will come from elsewhere. Other countries are increasing their defence spending in a serious way.”

The Chancellor is expected to raise defence spending by just £5billion, far less than up-to £11billion over the next two years, which Mr Wallace wants to keep up with inflation.

The former soldier wants funding for the Army, calling for defence spending to match 3 per cent of GDP by 2030 before relenting on that after the pound tanked.

In January, Sky News reported that a senior US general had told Mr Wallace privately that the British Army was no longer seen as a top-class fighting force.

Backing from Washington, which refrains from putting forward an American candidate, is a prerequisite to get the top job at Nato.

Similar opinions have been echoed in private by French officials on the fringes of Nato meetings.

Whitehall figures were downbeat about Mr Wallace’s chances of getting the job, but said this had nothing to do with the defence spending settlement.

They expected the next Nato secretary general to be a woman or from a country in Eastern Europe.