PEACE campaigners have accused Liz Truss of “spitting in the faces” of people struggling to make ends meet after it was revealed her military spending pledge could cost the public £157 billion. 

The Foreign Secretary has committed to increasing the defence budget to 3 per cent of GNP by the end of the decade as part of her bid to become Tory leader. 

New analysis of the pledge by think tank the Royal United Services Institute, published today, shows that this would mean spending £157bn, which would amount to the biggest rise in military spending since the cold war arms race of the early 1950s and add 5p in the pound to income tax. 

Peace campaigners said the whopping sum shows that Ms Truss is prepared to cough up billions of pounds for “arms dealers and warmongers” at the same time that millions are struggling with food and fuel poverty. 

She has held back on pledging more support for families faced with soaring energy bills apart from tax cuts, although recent reports suggest that she might consider other measures. 
 
Symon Hill of the Peace Pledge Union said: “Liz Truss is spitting in the face of everyone who is struggling to make ends meet. 

“Truss says she doesn’t believe in handouts, but she is ready to throw billions of pounds to generals and arms dealers. 

“If you’re shivering in your kitchen while worrying about your heating bills, your problems will not be solved by aircraft carriers and nuclear warheads.”

Stop the War Coalition co-convener Lindsey German said: “While Truss is prepared to hand over money to arms dealers and warmongers, she is refusing even the most basic support for the millions of workers who can't afford to heat or eat. 

“Her priorities are clear and we should do everything possible to oppose them.”

Instead of funnelling billions into arms, Ms German said ministers should instead try to “achieve peace in Ukraine, which would do a great deal to end the energy crisis.”

Mr Hill added that the research made it more vital for Ms Truss to disclose how the rise, which equates to a 60 per cent increase in military spending, would be funded. 

Using tax to cover it would equate to a 5p in the pound increase in income tax by the end of the decade or an increase in VAT from 20 per cent to 25 per cent, according to the analysis by Professor Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general of the Royal United Services Institute.