Rishi Sunak blames defence chiefs for decision to slash Army troop numbers
Rishi Sunak today tried to blame Army chiefs for slashing troop numbers.
The number of soldiers is being cut from 82,000 regulars to just 72,500 under plans outlined in March 2021 - 11 months before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Critics hoped the war would trigger a rethink when updated proposals are revealed next month in a Defence Command Paper.
But the Prime Minister is expected to press ahead with the cuts, which come as remaining troops are given better kit.
Speaking at the London Defence Conference today, Mr Sunak suggested generals were behind the move to reduce overall numbers.
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He said: “The Army will have a total force capacity of 100,000, split between regular and reserves.
Troop numbers are due to dwindle to just 72,500 (Getty Images)“The Defence Secretary is currently in the process of reviewing that and there will be a Defence Command Paper which will be issued shortly, which will talk through all that.
“But ultimately, my job is not to second guess the decision that our military chiefs are making.
“What I can say, and what we have delivered as a government, is record defence uplifts.”
He added: “How that is best spent to deal with the threats that we face is a question that our military chiefs will make."
The PM has pledged to boost military spending from 2.16% of GDP to 2.5%, but refused to set a deadline.
NATO members are supposed to spend at least 2% of GDP on their armed forces.
The Prime Minister was speaking with the director of the London Defence Conference, Iain Martin, at Bush House in Central London (Ben Stansall/AP/REX/Shutterstock)The PM is under mounting pressure to reverse the cut of 9,500 troops to the Army, which was unveiled in the 2021 Integrated Review of defence, security and foreign affairs.
Less than a year later, Vladimir Putin ordered Kremlin forces into Ukraine - unleashing the first major conflict on European soil since the Second World War.
The Government pledged another £5billion to defence spending over the next two years at March’s Budget, with £3bn for the Dreadnought nuclear submarine programme and £2bn to replenish weapons stocks after arms were sent to Ukraine.
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But that was less than the £8bn Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was said to have requested.
The PM has previously promised to lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP but refused to say when it will happen.
Addressing the conference, organised by King’s College London, later, Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey is expected to say: “When threats are increasing, further cuts to Army numbers are the wrong plan at the wrong time.
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey will address the conference later (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)“When NATO is increasing its high readiness force to 300,000, it is perverse that Britain at the same time is looking to, and planning to, cut the strength of our full-time forces further.
“It seems to me this is driven by costs not threats and it seems to me that is, I am sad to say as a result of the Defence Secretary’s failure to win the new money for the MoD that is needed to deal with the threats that we face.”
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