Friday 1 July 2022 12:15 PM Boris Johnson refuses to commit to halting falling size of Armed Forces trends now
Boris Johnson insisted that Britain will always have 'enough troops' today amid a row with the Army and politicians over the services' falling headcount and the threat from Russia.
The Prime Minister refused to commit to reversing cuts to the size of the British Army despite an outspoken warning this week from the service's top soldier.
In a dramatic intervention, General Sir Patrick Sanders said the country faces a '1937 moment' over Vladimir Putin's 'brutal aggression' - a reference to the notorious policy of giving ground to the German dictator before the Second World War.
The chief of the general staff said Britain must be ready to 'fight and win' rather than repeating the mistakes of appeasement that let Hitler run riot.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also demanded a huge rise in defence spending this week, which put him at odds with No10. Defence chiefs carried out a major review of the Armed Forces last year, before the war in Ukraine began.
It will see the effective strength of the British Army reduced to 72,500 troops by 2025, the lowest number since the Napoleonic War 200 years ago.
It came as the British Army launched a recruitment campaign with a rather pointed title. The campaign called Nothing Can Do What A Soldier Can Do contains the message that while new technologies are being used by troops in battle, the future of UK defence will be underpinned by soldiers.
Asked about the cuts by LBC radio today Mr Johnson said: 'Of course, you have got to have a big enough army. You've got to have enough troops, you got to have enough muscle power to do what you need to do. That's crucial.
'We'll never make any concessions there. But you've also got to make sure that the troops you do have are properly equipped...
The Prime Minister refused to commit to reversing cuts to the size of the British Army despite an outspoken warning this week from the service's top soldier.
It came as the British Army launched a recruitment campaign with a rather pointed title. The campaign called Nothing Can Do What A Soldier Can Do contains the message that while new technologies are being used by troops in battle, the future of UK defence will be underpinned by soldiers.
'Secondly, don't forget that when we actually engage in combat, we engage as an alliance and the UK typically is going to be way out in front when it comes to… look at our naval contributions. Enormous. Look at what we can do on cyber.'
It came after Mr Johnson last night vowed to boost defence spending to counter Russia's aggression.
At a press conference ending the NATO summit in Madrid, the PM announced the UK would be spending 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by the end of the decade.
Mr Johnson insisted budgets will soar well over the
