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

Defence secretary changes stance under new PM after previously threatening to quit if pledge not met

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 signalling 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 following Truss's disastrous premiership.