Defence Paper: Cutting 10,000 troops "unthinkable"

EMBARGO: Immedidate Release

Responding to Ben Wallace's statement in the Commons on the government's Defence Command Paper, Liberal DemocratDefence Spokesperson Richard Foord MP said:

“The British people have been generous and gracious in their support for Ukraine. Yet the Conservatives' handling of the Ministry of Defence and the future of our armed forces leaves a lot to be desired.

“Cutting the British Army by 10,000 soldiers at this time should be unthinkable. At a time when we are encouraging our allies to meet their NATO commitments and while Ukraine shows how a professional army is crucial to the security of the UK and our allies -   the Government must reverse its planned cuts.

“The rebuilding of munitions stockpiles is welcome. Yet the Government has not put forward new funding, instead simply re-announcing funding already earmarked for the MoD.

“If the Government wants to free-up existing funds to improve our defence readiness, they must tackle problems with defence procurement.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Paper here.