Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Armed Forces: Overall Size

Monday 6 July 2020 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Judith Cummins questioned the Secretary of State about reports of planned cuts to the Army's size.
  • The Secretary of State confirmed there is no plan to slash the size of the armed forces.
  • The Secretary of State stated that reports in The Sunday Times were completely erroneous.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Judith Cummins Lab Bradford South
Defence
Context

Reports suggest a potential reduction in the size of the Army.

Question

Can the Secretary of State categorically deny reports that No. 10 wishes to slash the size of the Army from 74,000 to 55,000 personnel? If he cannot do that, will he at least confirm to this House that he personally opposes any plan to reduce the size of the armed forces?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace

I can confirm that there is no plan to slash the size of the armed forces. The reports in The Sunday Times were completely erroneous, as was made clear to the journalist at the time. Our armed forces should always be defined by the threat we face as a nation, the capabilities we have, and Britain's global ambition.

Answered
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