Former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has criticized Labour's nuclear deterrent "triple lock" pledge, referring to it as “triple c**k.” Wallace, who served as the Conservative defence secretary, made these comments during The Sun's "Never Mind The Ballots" programme. His remarks followed Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s reaffirmation of commitment to Britain's nuclear deterrent during the General Election campaign.
The Labour "triple lock" includes: 1. Delivering four new ballistic submarines. 2. Maintaining a continuous-at-sea deterrent. 3. Providing necessary upgrades for the submarines.
Wallace labeled Labour’s plan as fabricated and accused both Labour and Conservative parties of weakening defence capabilities over decades. He called for an increased defence spending to 3% of GDP, in contrast to Labour's aim of 2.5% when economic conditions improve.
Starmer's commitment was emphasized during a speech at the Fusilier Museum in Bury, Greater Manchester. He insisted on the shadow cabinet’s unanimous support for the nuclear deterrent, despite past opposition from members like Deputy Leader Angela Rayner and Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who had voted against Trident's renewal in 2016.
Wallace argued that defence spending should be priority-driven rather than conditional based on economic conditions. He also criticized the government for reducing army numbers below target, which fell to under 73,000 troops.
Labour attacked the Conservatives for similar defence cuts, arguing for a strategic shift in maintaining defence levels while balancing financial trade-offs.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has committed to raising defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, a goal Wallace supports but believes is insufficient given the rising threats towards the end of the decade.