Ben Wallace has questioned the viability of a pledge made by Conservative leadership contender Liz Truss to dramatically increase the defence budget, warning that his department would not be able to make good use of the extra billions immediately.
The defence secretary, a favourite with the Tory grassroots, refused to say which of the three leadership candidates he would back, but appeared unenthusiastic about a Truss promise to lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2026 and 3% in 2030.
