Jeremy Hunt met Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, in Brussels before his Mansion House speech

Jeremy Hunt called last night for defence spending to increase above 2 per cent of GDP because Britain had “to earn a central position on the world stage” after Brexit.

The foreign secretary made the case for increasing investment in military capability beyond the benchmark for Nato countries in a speech to diplomats at Mansion House in London.

The call for extra cash — which cuts across Penny Mordaunt’s brief as the new defence secretary — was framed as part of a three-part post-Brexit national renewal. In what will strike many as part of a leadership manifesto, he said the country would also have to overhaul its economy and democratic institutions after divorce from the EU.

Mr Hunt echoed Donald Trump in saying that it