Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told Sky News he wanted defense spending to reach 2.5% of GDP “now – as soon as possible”.
This goes against the government’s stated position – duplicate budget Last week – spending would hit the 2.5% target “as long as economic conditions allow”.
Mr. Tugendhat – an ex-soldier – last week Urges Prime Minister to “lead the way” On increasing defense spending.
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He intervened in a LinkedIn post alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan.
In a social media post last week, Tugendhat called on the UK to increase spending on: defense to “2.5% and above.”
Asked today if he would like to see Rishi Sunak do more, Mr Tugendhat said: “Well, I would like to get to 2.5% now – as soon as possible.
“That’s exactly what we need to achieve.
“You know, the first step is to get to 2.5% and then we have to adjust as the challenges we face change.”
There was no additional funding for the armed forces in last week’s budget. Currently, defense spending accounts for about 2.2% of GDP.
Mr Tugendhat said he hoped to see an increase in spending soon
Speaking in last week’s budgetUK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said: “Our armed forces remain the most professional and best-funded in Europe, with defense spending accounting for more than 2% of GDP.
“We are providing more military support Ukraine Higher than almost any other country, our spending will rise to 2.5% once economic conditions allow. “
Tugendhat said Hunt “launched a very strong budget last week on growth and he was absolutely right”.
He added that it was “clear” that the UK “must increase its defense spending”.
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The security minister cited “the challenge of Iran’s ambitions in the Middle East,” “the threat posed by Russia to Ukraine” and “the rise of authoritarian states” as reasons for the need for increased defense spending.
Tugendhat also said the then chancellor, Mr Sunak, should be thanked as much as Boris Johnson and former defense secretary Ben Wallace because the defense budget had grown by 2% in recent years.
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Tugendhat and Trevelyan said in a LinkedIn post last week: “Former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have made progress in increasing our defense budget, which has been in decline for many years. In real terms, shrinking. But that’s just filling the hole.” Now we need growth. “
Tugendhat denied the article suggested Sunak had to “kick and scream” before agreeing to previous boosts.
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