Reappointed Ben Wallace calls for UK defence budget increase

Minister keen that Sunak keeps pledges of his predecessors

Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace arrives for a Cabinet meeting at No 10 Downing Street in London on Tuesday. AFP

The UK military budget must increase so the country can face the growing threat from nations such as Russia and China, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said.

Mr Wallace successfully secured commitments to increase the defence budget under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, and has kept the position in Rishi Sunak's new Cabinet.

Mr Johnson initially agreed to raise it to 2.5 per cent of national income by the end of the decade – compared to the Nato minimum of 2 per cent – a commitment Ms Truss lifted to 3 per cent.

But it was not immediately clear whether it would survive under the new administration as Mr Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt look to balance the books.

This month Mr Wallace’s deputy, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, said they both believed the pledge “must be delivered” – and that he could resign if it were not.

A defence source said that Mr Wallace considered it to be a “priority” and not discretionary spending.

“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead defence again," he tweeted after his reappointment.

“I am very grateful to the new Prime Minister for appointing me, and I look forward to working with Rishi Sunak to deliver a safe and prosperous United Kingdom.”

While Mr Wallace has been a long-standing ally of Mr Johnson, he has largely steered clear of the factional fighting within the Tory Party, concentrating on his ministerial brief.

He has won praise for his response to the Ukraine war, leading international efforts to arm the government in Kyiv, and some Tory MPs would have liked him to run for leader but he has shown no inclination to do so.