Ludlow MP calls for halt in army cuts following Russian invasion
Ludlow MP and former defence minister Philip Dunne has called for plans to cut the size of the British Army to be deferred or scrapped following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Dunne spoke in the House of Commons and asked defence minister James Heappey to review plans to cut 9,500 regular soldiers from the size of the British Army.
It comes in light of increased troop commitments by Nato to deployments in Eastern Europe. In response, Mr Heappey said he recognised the concerns Mr Dunne raised.
He said the Ministry of Defence had opted to accelerate plans to upgrade the lethality of equipment, rather than specifically to sustain force numbers.
Commenting afterwards, Mr Dunne said: “Russia’s aggression in Ukraine shows we cannot be complacent when it comes to defence, and when it comes to the British Army, mass does matter, even if diffused over a large geography.
"I have made clear to the government my own view that we should look again at the conclusions drawn in the 2021 Integrated Review, and at least defer, or preferably reverse, plans to take 9,500 regular soldiers out of the Army.
"Given equipment needs, we should also review how much we spend on defence relative to GDP, and consider uplifting spending to a level that ensures we are ready to meet the very real threats to peace and security increasing around the world.”
