Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Armed Forces Personnel

Monday 25 March 2024 · 4 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Keir Mather asked about steps to end the hollowing out of the armed forces, citing reductions in personnel and equipment since 2010.
  • The Minister responded by highlighting the increase in the defence budget to over 50 billion a year as a point of pride.
  • James Sunderland questioned Labour's commitment to spending more than 2% of GDP on defence, which the Minister agreed presents a risk to UK security.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Keir Mather Lab Selby
Defence
Context

The question addresses concerns about the decline in the size and capability of UK's armed forces since 2010.

Question

What steps he is taking to end the hollowing out of the armed forces. Since 2010, the size has decreased by over 43,000 personnel; Royal Navy warships have decreased by a fifth; more than 200 aircraft removed from service in five years; and recruitment targets are being missed year on year.

Answer from James Heappey

I refer the hon. Gentleman to much that I said in response to the readiness question earlier, but the key point on this issue of enablement is that it is the unglamorous stuff that needs to be invested in first. The Government have increased the defence budget to more than £50 billion a year for the first time.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about which legacy and what actions were not addressed directly.

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Q2 Keir Mather Lab Selby
Defence
Context

The question follows up on concerns about the reduction in size and capability of UK's armed forces since 2010.

Question

Since 2010, the size has decreased by over 43,000 personnel; Royal Navy warships have decreased by a fifth; more than 200 aircraft removed from service in five years; and recruitment targets are being missed year on year. Which of those legacies is the Minister most proud of? What actions could he undertake to do better?

Answer from James Heappey

The thing that I am most proud of, beyond the exceptional operational output of His Majesty's armed forces every time they are called on, is that the Government have increased the defence budget to more than £50 billion a year for the first time. The hon. Gentleman should be enormously concerned about the shadow Chancellor's repeated refusal to commit to anything more than the 2% NATO floor for defence spending.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about which legacy and what actions were not directly addressed.

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Q3 James Sunderland
Defence
Context

The question questions the risk posed by Labour's failure to commit to spending more than 2% of GDP on defence.

Question

The question of whether our armed forces are fit for purpose should centre on whether they can carry out the defence tasks set by the MOD, and I believe that they can. Does the Minister agree that Labour's failure to commit to spending more than 2% of GDP on defence presents a much bigger risk to UK security than any objective debate on this side of the House?

Answer from James Heappey

Absolutely. We should urgently achieve 2.5% of GDP; the fiscal situation is improving, and the Conservative party has made that commitment.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about Labour's policy was not directly addressed in terms of risk to UK security.

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Q4 Maria Eagle Lab Liverpool Garston
Policing & Resources Defence
Context

The question addresses the decline in armed forces recruitment and the failure of the current system.

Question

As the former Defence Secretary said, the Government have “hollowed out and underfunded” the UK military over the last 14 years. This is due to total failure on armed forces recruitment, with damning new figures showing that over a decade, 800,000 people willing to serve simply gave up their applications. The current Defence Secretary says the system is “ludicrous”. Where is the plan to fix this?

Answer from James Heappey

The right hon. Lady is conflating two separate issues. The former Secretary of State for Defence and I have referred to a hollowing out of the force since the fall of the Berlin wall, because the cold war-era force was not necessary for counter-insurgency campaigns. As far as recruitment goes, record interest has been shown in joining our nation's armed forces.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about fixing the recruitment system was not directly addressed.

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