Ben Wallace denies he will resign if Jeremy Hunt refuses defence increase

UK defence secretary acknowledges he faces uphill battle in seeking 11bn increase ahead of March budget

Negotiations with the Treasury over public spending levels are always an uphill battle, the defence secretary has said, amid reports he is looking for up to an 11bn increase in defence spending.

Ben Wallace admitted soaring inflation was hitting the Ministry of Defence's real-terms budget particularly hard, but dismissed suggestions he would resign if the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, refused to provide the increase he was looking for.