Gordon Brown admitted today that he was wrong to claim at the Iraq war inquiry that the defence budget had risen in real terms every year under Labour. The Prime Minister said he was writing to Sir John Chilcot's inquiry to correct the evidence he gave earlier this month.
The admission follows the publication of figures from the House of Commons library that contradict his earlier claims. Mr Brown had repeatedly cited increased defence spending amid criticism over the level of support he offered the armed forces during his tenure as chancellor.
At Prime Minister's Questions, the Conservative MP Tony Baldry challenged Mr Brown to set the record straight. Mr Brown told MPs he was already writing to Sir John, adding: 'Because of operational fluctuations in the way the money is spent, expenditure has risen in cash terms every year, in real terms it is 12% higher, but I do accept – I did accept – that in one or two years defence expenditure did not rise in real terms.'
Mr Brown rejected criticisms from former military chiefs Lord Guthrie and Lord Boyce that the Treasury failed to maintain the Ministry of Defence's budget at a level needed to fight two wars. He insisted: 'The urgent operational requirements that were asked for by our forces were always met.'
The admission came during a heated half-hour session in which David Cameron challenged the Prime Minister over the forthcoming BA strike. Mr Cameron accused Mr Brown of acting in the 'union interest' rather than the national interest. Mr Brown hit back, denouncing 'total opportunism' and urging both sides to keep talking to resolve the dispute.
