Tobias Ellwood as urged the government to increase spending on defence (Picture: Sky News)
The UK’s defence budget must be increased to cope with a new Cold War involving China and Russia, a senior MP has warned.
Tobias Ellwood, head of the Commons defence committee, said ministers were ‘in denial’ about a ‘new era of insecurity’. He urged PM Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt to raise spending from two per cent of GDP to at least three.
‘Back in 1990, at the end of the Cold War, we had over 900 battle tanks, and we’ve cut that down now to about 148,’ he told GB News.
‘Frigates and destroyers – we had over 50 of those protecting our sea lanes around the world. We embrace globalisation, so we need to continue to protect those.
‘You can’t do that with just 18 frigates and destroyers. We had 36 squadrons of fast jets. We’re down to about seven.
‘Really we’re still on a peacetime budget. We’ve moved into a new era of insecurity. I’ll make it really clear: we’re still in denial.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace wants a budget boost (Picture: PA)
‘Another Cold War has started, not on one front but on two fronts, with Russia and China.’
The Tory MP’s comments came after a Mail On Sunday report that the UK would not be ready to take over from Germany as Nato’s highest readiness force.
It said UK Ministry of Defence sources had backed up claims in the German media that Nato has asked Berlin to remain in charge for an extra year as Britain cannot spare the 5,000 personnel required. The Ministry of Defence said the reports were ‘completely untrue’.
Meanwhile, defence secretary Ben Wallace wants up to £10billion extra spending over the next two years to fulfil MoD commitments, the Sunday Times reported.
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‘We had 36 squadrons of fast jets. We’re down to about seven.’
