Britain's Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson arrives at Blenheim Palace, where U.S. President Donald Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump are attending a dinner with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and business leaders, near Oxford, Britain, July 12, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will always be a “tier one” military power, defense minister Gavin Williamson said on Tuesday.

In June, Prime Minister Theresa May said a report that she had questioned the United Kingdom’s status as a “tier one” military power was incorrect. But when asked directly she declined to repeat the phrase, saying only that she wanted Britain to be a “leading defense nation.”

“Britain is a major global actor, we have always been a tier one military power and we always will be a tier one military power,” Williamson told the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington.