FUNDING for the armed forces should be on a par with the NHS, according to defence minister and Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood.

Mr Ellwood said he was "deeply concerned" that Britain was taking its security for granted as the world grows more dangerous.

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

He added: "You go back to the 1970s and 1980s and there was a parity between defence spending compared with health and education – and today we have dropped back to two per cent.

"The government often does what people call for. If people call for more money for schools and hospitals, that is often where the money then flows. It is important we raise the profile of the dangers of reducing our defence posture. Once you lose it, you will never get it back.

"I am deeply concerned we have a nation which is fully appreciative of our armed forces but which takes our security for granted."

The former Army captain said countries including Russia and China are "rewriting the rule book" and Britain had to ensure it had the "full spectrum of capabilities".