FUNDING for the armed forces should be on a par with the NHS, the defence minister has suggested.

Tobias Ellwood said he is “deeply concerned” that Britain is taking its security for granted as the world gets more dangerous.

Amid suggestions the Ministry of Defence (MoD) faces a black hole of at least £20 billion over the next decade, the minister said spending on the armed forces must increase.

In a report published by the Public Accounts Committee last week, MPs warned that the MoD “simply does not have enough money to buy all the equipment it needs”. On Tuesday, the US ambassador said Britain must consider how it wants to be perceived by America and its adversaries while weighing up how it spends its budget.