Conservative Johnny Mercer on defence spending and cuts

Up to 30 Conservative MPs are prepared to hold the government’s feet to the fire on defence, a Tory member of the defence select committee said after calling on the chancellor to protect its funding.

Johnny Mercer said they were “not prepared to see a further degradation in this country’s military, in either budget or capability”.

Ahead of Gavin Williamson addressing the Commons for the first time as defence secretary, Mr Mercer told Daily Politics presenter Jo Coburn British taxpayers would not “be prepared to see something like the size of Belgium in the UK’s armed forces”.