Labour calls for ‘proper defence strategy’

LONDON: Labour has called for the government to devise “a proper defence strategy” after a leaked Ministry of Defence report said the Army is running low on battle-ready soldiers.

Shadow defence secretary John Healey said the report obtained by the Daily Mail “raises the alarm on the readiness of our military”. The Mail said the Ministry of Defence’s Infantry Battalion Soldier Strength Summary – January 2021 showed all but one of the Army’s infantry battalions did not have enough soldiers who were ready for combat.

It also showed the prestigious Scots Guards, which has a working requirement of 603 troops, had just 339 soldiers available for operations. “After a decade of decline our forces are over 10,000 below the strength ministers said are needed, with combat personnel indispensable for our defence and our commitment to NATO,” Mr Healey said.

An Army spokeswoman told PA News Agency the force had achieved its target for infantry recruits in 2020 “and continues to actively recruit today”.

She added: “We are confident the Army has the numbers and talent required to protect the United Kingdom.

“The Integrated Review is not yet complete and any reporting about Army force structure is merely speculation.” The Integrated Review was billed by the government as the deepest and most radical re-evaluation of the UK’s place in the world since the Cold War ended.

Its findings were due last autumn but were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Boris Johnson saying last month it was unlikely to be published in February. Healey said: “Britain can’t afford any more reckless cuts to our forces, so ministers must put personnel at the heart of their delayed defence review.”