Most voters believe the government is spending too little on defence, according to an opinion poll conducted for the Telegraph.

Only 14 per cent of those questioned in the YouGov survey believe Geoff Hoon is doing a good job as defence secretary.

Just 18 per cent believe that Labour can be trusted to support the forces.

Nicholas Soames, the shadow defence secretary, said: "I welcome the findings of this poll and I'm not surprised by the results. For the first time in many years the public realise that military issues are very important."