Defence Minister Ben Wallace swears live on BBC Breakfast over claims from European allies about UK military

Defence minister Ben Wallace dropped a swear word during his appearance on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning (February 15). The 52-year-old said it as part of a response to claims from European allies about the UK military.

The word was dropped after he was told that reports in the German media say  NATO has asked Berlin to remain in charge of the leadership of the rapid reaction force because the UK  ‘was not capable of taking control’.

When asked “how are we supposed to react to those criticisms?”, by BBC Breakfast presenter Nina Warhurst, Wallace said: “The story in Germany is just ********. To be honest the simple reality is NATO leadership did not approach anybody, we are taking over the VGTF as scheduled.

He continued:  “There’s a lot of stories out there that I just don’t think are particularly true.” Wallace also claimed during his appearance on the popular morning show that the UK is to spend around £34 billion between now and 2032 to modernise the army.

Hailing from Farnborough, Wallace is a member of the Conservative party and he has been the Member of Parliament for Wyre and Preston North, formerly Lancaster and Wyre, since 2005.

He was Minister of State for Security at the Home Office from July 17 2016 to July 24 2019, meaning he held the position during the 2017 terror attacks and Russian State attack in Salisbury in 2018.