Defence budget figures I gave at inquiry were wrong, says PM

The Prime Minister told Sir John Chilcot's panel when he appeared before it earlier this month that the defence budget was "rising in real terms every year". But later House of Commons figures showed this was not the case.

Asked at Question Time whether he would correct the record, Mr Brown said: "Yes. I am already writing to Sir John Chilcot about this issue.

"Because of operational fluctuations in the way the money is spent, expenditure has risen in cash terms every year, in real terms it is 12 per cent higher, but I do accept that in one or two years defence expenditure did not rise in real terms."

Mr Brown made the assertion to the inquiry as he rejected accusations that as Chancellor he starved the military of the funds it needed.

The Prime Minister's evidence sparked condemnation from some senior military figures.

The head of the armed forces at the time of the 2003 invasion accused him of being "disingenuous" in saying that he provided military chiefs with everything they asked for.

He conceded he had been wrong over the real-terms rise in the Commons under pressure from Tory MP Tony Baldry.