Originally Posted by
ORAC
NEW: @DefenceHQ will need about £8billion from the Treasury over the next 2 years to protect the defence budget *in real terms* against the impact of inflation & foreign exchange, Defence Secretary @BWallaceMP has just indicated in comments to @CommonsDefence
This is really important as it gives a sense of what Ben Wallace will be fighting for in his discussions with Chancellor @Jeremy_Hunt just to maintain a planned increase in defence spending out to 2024/25 - let alone striving to increase the defence budget any further.
The Defence Secretary was specifically referring to the projected pressures caused by inflation and foreign exchange rates on the defence budget. He said: "The inflationary pressures on my budget for the next 2 years is about £8billion - and forex".
He continues: "The initial battle for the next few years is insulation from inflation and forex".….
So, seems that Wallace has rather changed his tune; from not getting an increase to 3% being a resigning matter, to resisting inflationary and forex pressures over the next 2 years... C-130J, Tranche 1 Typhoon and 9 Chinooks still all to go, nothing that they seem to be able to do to fix the car crash that is aircrew training, tiny training fleets smaller than some African Air Forces, but, on the up side, maybe, just mabe, he is going to keep the strength of the Army at 76,000 rather than the current planned cut to 73,500. Defence, safe in the hands of the Tories eh?