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Theresa May 'questions Britain's role as a leading military power' weeks before crucial Nato summit

The Prime Minister is reported to have sent “shockwaves” through the Ministry of Defence this week following a crunch meeting with Gavin Williamson - REUTERS
The Prime Minister is reported to have sent “shockwaves” through the Ministry of Defence this week following a crunch meeting with Gavin Williamson - REUTERS

Theresa May has threatened to spark a major row with defence chiefs after allegedly questioning Britain’s status as a leading military power just weeks before a crucial NATO summit.

The Prime Minister is reported to have sent “shockwaves” through the Ministry of Defence this week following a crunch meeting with Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, in which she is said to have told him to justify Britain’s role as a “tier one” fighting force.

According to reports, Mrs May told Mr Williamson that he needed to review Britain’s military capabilities and refocus his efforts on cyber warfare capability.

Her comments have sparked serious concern in the department, with senior officials telling The Financial Times that they fear the Prime Minister is questioning Britain’s role as a leading military power.

“People have their head in their hands,” said one.

Defence Spending
Defence Spending

The paper reports that Mrs May raised her doubts after the new chief of the defence staff, General Sir Nick Carter, detailed the capabilities required to counter the growing threat posed by Russia, and the cost implications of fielding those requirements.

The MoD believes that in order for an armed forces to be considered a tier one power, it must have a full range of military capabilities, including nuclear, navy, army and air forces, all of which can be deployed across the world.

Last night a Downing Street official said it was “categorically untrue” to suggest Britain’s “position as a leading defense nation is somehow in question.”

They added: “The prime minister is strongly committed to the United Kingdom’s armed forces and to maintaining their strength and their ability to deter and where necessary defeat the threats we face."

It comes amid, ongoing row between the department and the Treasury over the need for more military funding, with Mr Williamson openly sparring with Philip Hammond, the Chancellor in recent months.

The dispute has threatened to boil over this week, amid reports that a £20bn funding boost for the NHS means that other departments will be denied the large spending increases they have asked for.

How has the Ministry of Defence budget changed?
How has the Ministry of Defence budget changed?

It is understood that a statement that Mr Williamson had intended to make on the MoD’s modernising defence programme at a crucial Nato summit next month may no longer go ahead.

Meanwhile, there are growing fears among ministers and defence chiefs that Donald Trump, the US President, could cast the future of the Nato alliance into serious doubt in the coming weeks, following a fractious meeting of the G7 leaders earlier this month.

At the summit, held in Quebec, Mr Trump demanded that Russia rejoin the group, before leaving two days early.

At a glance | Military spending by Nato members
At a glance | Military spending by Nato members

Today, it has emerged that the US President is making arrangements to meet Vladimir Putin before the Nato summit, where he is expected to demand that European nations address their consistent failure to meet their spending commitments.

At present, just five Nato partners meet the target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defence, including the US and Britain.

If the meeting between Mr Trump and the Russian President goes ahead, it would be seen as a significant blow to Western unity, just months after Britain’s allies rallied behind Theresa May in the wake of the Salisbury attack.