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Watch as Ben Wallace delivers Defence Command Paper refresh in Commons

Oliver Browning
Tuesday 18 July 2023 14:07 BST
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Watch as Ben Wallace delivers the Defence Command Paper refresh to the House of Commons on Tuesday 18 July.

The outgoing defence secretary has said he has not thought about his legacy ahead of the publication of the long-awaited paper that will set out the armed forces’ future.

It will detail how the UK will invest an additional £2.5 billion in stockpiles and a global response force.

A further £400 million will be spent on modernising personnel accommodation.

The report will also outline how investment in science and technology will be prioritised as part of an effort to modernise the armed forces.

Despite its publication being one of his last major actions as defence secretary, Mr Wallace said he does not think of it as his legacy – but as fulfilling a debt he owed to servicemen and women.

“I don’t think of legacies, I just think it’s the natural step,” he said.

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