Defence Secretary: Truss best PM candidate for defence
The Defence Secretary has put his support behind Liz Truss as the next Prime Minister.
Ben Wallace told BBC Breakfast while former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the other candidate for Number 10, would "be a fine member of anybody's cabinet", Ms Truss is the one he thinks "will do best by defence".
He added that Ms Truss would invest in the UK's Armed Forces and make sure "we get to a point where we can provide that resilience that does have a knock-on effect of the cost-of-living".
"Some of the challenges we have right now because of global insecurity and defence has a real role in helping stabilise countries from Africa, to Europe and even over the Pacific," Mr Wallace said.
"And that's important we can do that.
Watch: 'We will have to spend more' on defence, says PM.
"When I was in Government, without any prompting or asking, Liz, I remember, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister saying that defence needs more money, it's a more dangerous, risky world.
"She did that off her own back. She's been very consistent."
He added Ms Truss had also served the Government in a number of roles and is one of the "longest serving Cabinet ministers now".
"I think that is ultimately why I think she's best for me."
Mr Wallace also told how Mr Sunak was not in support of the multi-year defence settlement- the biggest programme of investment in the UK Armed Forces since the end of the Cold War.
Mr Wallace said while he didn't think Mr Sunak was "obstructive", the Treasury wanted a "one-year settlement" but the Prime Minister "effectively asserted his authority and made sure" it was across multiple years.
When asked if Mr Sunak was in support of the settlement, Mr Wallace said: "Not that I remember."
It comes after the Defence Secretary urged all the Conservative Party leadership candidates to "recognise the importance" of defence spending.
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