Watch live: Ben Wallace takes questions from MPs amid claims British Army no longer regarded as ‘top-level’
Ben Wallace is set to take questions from MPs in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon and is likely to provide an update on training for Ukrainian soldiers on the Challenger 2 tank.
Rishi Sunak was the world’s first leader to send tanks to Ukraine, with the US and Germany recently following suit.
Mr Wallace, the defence secretary, will be speaking amid reports that he was told by a senior US general that the British Army is no longer regarded as a top-level fighting force.
Department sources have disclosed that cost-cutting measures have seen the armed force decline in the eyes of world leaders, Sky News reported on Monday.
“Bottom line… it’s an entire service unable to protect the UK and our allies for a decade,” the source is quoted as saying.
“You haven’t got a tier one, it’s barely tier two.”
Other sources added the UK’s defence budget would need to be increased by £3 billion a year to address the US general’s concern.
