Anger as Sunak backtracks on Truss defence pledge

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has set himself on a collision course with defence hawks in his own Conservative Party by refusing to commit to increasing spending on the military to 3 per cent of GDP in this week's autumn statement.

- ANDREW WOODCOCK

Mr Sunak dismissed warnings that stepping back from his predecessor Liz Truss's target would be seen as a sign of weakness by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a time when the West is supporting Ukraine's resistance to his invasion.

The PM announced the award of a new £4.2bn contract to BAE Systems to build five more warships for the Royal Navy, in a move he said would bolster the UK's ability to counter Russian aggression.

In one of his final acts as prime minister, Boris Johnson pledged to increase defence spending from the current 2.1 per cent of GDP to 2.5 by the end of the decade, and Ms Truss ramped this up to 3 per cent during her brief stint in office.

Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, had hinted he might treat any backsliding on the pledge as a resigning matter but last week indicated he was not seeking a fight on the issue, saying he would take it "Budget by Budget".

A hike to 3 per cent would cost £20bn-£25bn in real terms, at a time when chancellor Jeremy Hunt is trying to find savings and tax rises totalling up to £60bn in Thursday's statement.