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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor

Ben Wallace steps back from Liz Truss’s 3% defence spending target

Ben Wallace joins members of the armed forces to sell poppies at Waterloo station in London last week
Ben Wallace joined members of the armed forces to sell poppies at Waterloo station in London last week. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The defence secretary has walked away from a Liz Truss commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 – just a few weeks after speculation he might resign from the government if the target was not met.

When asked if he still supported the pledge, Ben Wallace, speaking at a meeting of European defence ministers, said he was “taking it budget by budget at the moment”, acknowledging the changed economic situation after Truss’s disastrous premiership.

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