Ben Wallace said reports which claimed Nato allies were concerned about the state of the UK’s military forces were “just bollocks” on Wednesday.
Sources allegedly told the Telegraph on Tuesday evening that French officials are causing alarm among Nato members over the budget cuts to UK military, and depleted British supplies after Westminster gave Ukraine some of its weapons.
But, the UK government has denied that any such worries have been mentioned to any representatives.
Reports in the German media – allegedly backed up by UK ministry of defence sources speaking to the MailOnline – have claimed that Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) has asked Berlin to remain in charge of the leadership of the rapid reaction force due to the same fears about the UK.
The rapid reaction force, also known as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force or VJTF, was set up in 2014, and is meant to be the first line of defence if Russia takes action against Nato.
But speaking to BBC Breakfast, Wallace rebuffed the allegations.
He said: “The story about Germany, it’s just bollocks, right? To be honest, the simple reality is the Nato leadership did not approach anybody.
“We are taking over the VGTF as scheduled, and it’s interesting that that story is based on a source from a German website [Table.media] you and I have never heard of.
“There’s a lot of stories out there that I just don’t think are particularly true.
″Yes, the only thing that is key here is to make sure our forces are at readiness and that our forces are modernised, and on that subject, I’ve been very clear that defence over the last 30 years was hollowed out and we needed to address that.”
Wallace made headlines in the past after pushing for increasing defence spending under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
He also claimed: “We’re going to spend £34 billion modernising our army between now and 2032 and that is absolutely true – and we’re not any less ready than any others, we just have to make sure we get back to investing in defence.”
This come amid a supposed row between Wallace and the Treasury over the upcoming Budget, as the defence secretary is said to have asked for more money (£11 billion) for his department.
However, as he told Sky News, “it’s always an uphill battle with the Treasury, no matter what department you’re in”.
He also said he would not resign if he did not get the money in the spring budget.
“This is not about resigning or anything else: it’s about delivering defence to meet the threat,” Wallace said.
Wallace is also tipped to become the next head of Nato when the current secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg leaves the role in October.
But, sources speculated to The Telegraph that some French figures might prefer the role to someone high up in the EU.