US defence secretary intervenes in UK military budget row
James Mattis hints Britain could be replaced by France as Washington’s closest ally
Ewen MacAskill Defence correspondent
Mon 2 Jul 2018 05.43 EDT
Last modified on Mon 2 Jul 2018 14.56 EDT
The US defence secretary, James Mattis, has made a surprise intervention in the row over UK defence spending by warning France could replace the UK as Washington’s closest military ally in Europe.
In a leaked letter to the British defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, Mattis expressed concern the UK’s military power was at risk of erosion and compared the UK unfavourably with France, which Mattis pointed out had committed to significant increases in defence spending.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/02/us-defence-secretary-james-mattis-uk-military-spending
