The British defence minister, a fierce friend of Ukraine, looks sidelined
is the great survivor of the most tumultuous recent period in British politics. He has held ministerial office, uninterrupted, from the premierships of David Cameron to Rishi Sunak. He emerged from the Boris Johnson years with his dignity intact and adoring support from the Conservative Party. His relentless backing, as defence secretary, for Ukraine has earned plaudits abroad. He had also hoped, until recently, he might succeed Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general of.
The snag is money. Before a spending review in March, Mr Wallace asked the Treasury for roughly an extra £10bn . He got half, which will largely go to submarine projects, nuclear warheads and the replenishment of munitions. The annual defence budget, adjusted for rampant inflation, will be a puny £1.1bn higher in 2024-25 than in 2021-22. The army, which has lost almost 20,000 soldiers in a decade, is unlikely to grow.
Ammunition stockpiles remain a serious problem, say defence insiders. Mr Wallace notes that the Storm Shadow cruise missile, which Britain gave to Ukraine in May, has been out of production for a decade. It took almost a year to revive supply chains foranti-tank weapons, he adds. Arms companies retort that European governments will not place long-term orders. “The big challenge,” reiterates Mr Wallace, “is we don’t have the money.” The Treasury has agreed that defence spending will rise to 2.
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