We refute the argument of Babchin that electrostrictive effects are of the same order of magnitude as the usual electrostatic (Maxwell) ionic pressure term, which would imply a major revision of the classical electric double layer theory. A force equilibrium equation is derived from the condition of uniform (electro-) chemical potential for each species, solvent and ions, in the diffuse layer. Ionic self-atmosphere effects are ignored but volume effects due to finite size of solvent molecules and ions and dependence of dielectric permittivity on electric field and on ion concentration are taken into account. The theory is restricted to small electrolyte volume fractions and a small compressibility of the solvent. It is shown that the main electrostrictive term cancels out with a pressure term which is produced by the varying solvent density in the inhomogeneous diffuse layer region.