UK Politics

The resignation of the deputy chief whip shows the Conservatives are “mired in sleaze”, Angela Rayner has said.Chris Pincher, who was appointed to the role last February to strengthen party discipline, resigned following a drunken incident in which he said he “embarrassed myself and other people”.He stood down after allegedly assaulting two fellow guests at the Carlton Club – a Tory Party private members’ club in London’s Piccadilly – on Wednesday evening, The Sun claimed.The Metropolitan Police said it was not aware of any calls to that location last night. It also said there was no record on its systems of any related reports submitted today.Reacting to Pincher’s resignation, Ms Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, said in a statement: “This latest episode shows how far standards in public life have been degraded on Boris Johnson’s watch.“Boris Johnson has serious questions to answer about why Chris Pincher was given this role in the first place and how he can remain a Conservative MP.“The Conservative party is so mired in sleaze and scandal that it is totally unable to tackle the challenges facing the British people.“The Conservative MPs who continue to prop up this prime minister’s paralysed administration need to grow a backbone and tell him the party’s over.”In his letter of resignation to the prime minister, Mr Pincher apologised to Mr Johnson, saying it had been “the honour of my life” to have served in the government.The Tamworth MP said: “Last night I drank far too much. I’ve embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologise to you and to those concerned.“I think the right thing to do in the circumstances is for me to resign as deputy chief whip. I owe it to you and the people I’ve caused upset to, to do this.“I want to assure you that you will continue to have my full support from the back benches, and I wish you all the best as you deal with aftershocks of Covid and the challenges of international inflation.“It has been the honour of my life to have served in Her Majesty’s Government.”It is the second time he has quit the whip’s office, having resigned as a junior whip in November 2017 following a complaint that he made an unwanted pass at the former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story.Having referred himself to both the police and the Conservative Party complaints procedure, he was brought back by Theresa May as deputy chief whip in January 2018.With additional reporting from the Press Association More

Boris Johnson sought to heal a cabinet rift by promising to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of Britain’s economic output by the end of the decade. The prime minister wrapped up the Nato summit in Madrid with a pledge that could see more than £55bn added to military budgets this decade, following Ben Wallace’s pleas for more money. However, senior Conservatives said the PM’s ambition remained “feeble” and the target too far off, given the gravity of the immediate threat from Vladimir Putin’s Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.Defence committee chair Tobias Ellwood MP, for 3 per cent of GDP to be spent on defence, said Mr Johnson’s end-of-decade commitment was “too little too late”, pointing to current budget cuts set to see 10,000 troops slashed from the Army.Julian Lewis, chair of the intelligence and security committee, noted that the UK spent between 4.1 per cent and 5.5 per cent of GDP on defence during the 1980s, the last decade of the Cold War.“Announcing at the height of a deadly confrontation in Europe in 2022 that we aim to achieve just a feeble 2.5 per cent in eight years’ time, shows an inability or unwillingness to face up to the gravity of the current crisis,” said Mr Lewis.Defence sources said the target to hike from the current figure of 2.3 per cent of GDP would mean huge sums committed each year during the second half of the decade – since the recent spending review means nothing more will be given before 2025. It is understood the pledge would require an extra £55.1bn cumulatively over the rest of the decade in order to hit the 2030 goal, based on official government forecasts about the size of the economy.Mr Wallace – having launched a stringing attack on Britain’s “smoke and mirror” defence spending and “fantasy savings” this week – welcomed the 2030 announcement.A source close to Mr Wallace said: “The defence secretary has always been clear that as the threat changes, so should the defence spending,” adding that Mr Johnson had “rightly responded to Russia’s danger”.Labour said the current plan to cut 9,500 troops from army were “embarrassing” for the UK when the government was trying to push allies into boosting their forces. Mr Johnson appeared to concede troops numbers would have to be boosted, telling LBC: “You’ve got to have enough troops, you got to have enough muscle power to do what you need to do.”The UK also used the Nato summit to promise an extra £1bn of military aid for Ukraine, as he again warned against pushing President Volodymyr Zelensky into a “bad peace” deal. The PM hailed the country’s “amazing ability” to take back occupied territory.He pointed to the Putin’s decision to withdraw troops from the hotly-contested Snake Island in the Black Sea was an indication that Russia will not be able to hold all the ground he has taken.The prime minister also told LBC that Putin still has a way to get out of the Ukraine conflict without losing his grip on power. He claimed the tyrant had “considerable political margin of manoeuvre” to withdraw his forces and “seek a new arrangement”.It came after the Russian president appear to suggested that the British prime minister would look “disgusting” topless. Speaking to reporters, Putin said that Western leaders abuse alcohol and don’t do enough sporting activities.Earlier this week, Mr Johnson had jested that G7 leaders could take their clothes off and “show our pecs” – a reference to the infamous photos of Mr Putin’s bare chested horse riding.Despite an estimated 35 nuclear threats by Putin and his regime in recent weeks, Mr Johnson said: “I think it’s very, very important that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be sidetracked by this kind of sabre-rattling.He added: “Because fundamentally, what Putin is trying to do is to reframe this as about Russia versus Nato. It’s not. It’s about his attack on an entirely innocent country.”The gathering in Madrid also saw Nato take a much firmer view on China – stating that Beijing now challenges the western defence alliance’s “interests, security and values”.Mr Johnson told reporters: “We have huge economic relationship with China … but at the same time, we’ve got to understand that there are areas where we need to compete, contest and sometimes challenge what China is up to.” More

Vladimir Putin still has a way to get out of the war in Ukraine without losing his grip on power in Moscow, Boris Johnson has suggested.Ever since Russia’s invasion of its neighbour on 24 February, Mr Johnson has made clear that, while supporting Ukraine’s efforts to drive Putin’s troops out of the country, he was not seeking regime change in the Kremlin.He has previously been critical of Western leaders, like France’s Emmanuel Macron, who have suggested that Putin must be offered a ladder to climb down to allow him to end the conflict without losing face.But in an interview at the conclusion of the Nato summit in Spain, Mr Johnson said that the Russian president enjoys sufficient support at home to give him the political space to withdraw his troops.He told LBC radio’s Nick Ferrari: “A point that I think everyone needs to bear in mind, is that the Russian president actually enjoys very considerable levels of public support at the moment in Russia.“He has, I think, considerable political margin of manoeuvre to say ‘Look, you know, I went in, I had to achieve certain things’ – and it will be up to him to specify what he thought those were – ‘but in the interests of peace, in the interests of the world, I think the time has come now to bring the technical military operation to an end, and to withdraw and to seek a new arrangement’.“That, I think, is what he should do.”Mr Johnson said that the Russian president’s decision to withdraw troops from the hotly-contested Snake Island in the Black Sea was an indication that Putin will not be able to hold all the ground he has taken in eastern and southern Ukraine.“It’s about it’s about, now, changing the dynamic,” he said.“Volodymyr Zelensky has some ideas about how to move things forward, (how) the Ukrainians can recapture ground.“Look at what’s just happened in Snake Island today. Putin has had to concede that and there’s a lesson from this: He is in the end going to find it impossible to hold down a country he doesn’t own.”The prime minister played down the threat that Mr Putin might escalate the conflict by unleashing nuclear weapons if he is unable to overcome Ukrainian resistance by conventional means.Despite an estimated 35 nuclear threats by Putin and his regime over recent weeks, Mr Johnson said: “I think it’s very, very important that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be side-tracked by this kind of sabre-rattling.“Because fundamentally, what Putin is trying to do is to reframe this as about Russia versus Nato.“It’s not. It’s about his attack on an entirely innocent country, with conventional weapons, with artillery, bombardments with planes, shells and so on.“And it’s about the Ukrainians’ right to protect themselves. That is what this is about.“And what we had today at Nato was, yet again, the alliance being tested, being asked, being interrogated. Are we resolved? Are we determined? Will we give the Ukrainians the means to protect themselves?“And the answer was absolutely yes and, if anything, the strength of the unity is greater than it was before.”-  The full interview will be broadcast on Friday 1 July from 7am on LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast More

Boris Johnson compares Russia to Nazi Germany at G7 summitBoris Johnson has sought to justify his government’s increase in defence spending by saying that the “cost of freedom is always worth paying” amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.At a Nato summit in Madrid, the PM announced a further £55 billion in defence spending until 2030, while spiralling inflation – currently at 9 per cent – continues to erode people’s spending power and living standards are dropping.When asked at the summit if he is worried about “Ukraine fatigue”, amid a cost of living crisis at home, Mr Johnson replied: “The point I would make about the cost of freedom is that, actually, it is always worth paying.“Unless we get the right result in Ukraine, Putin will be in a position to commit further acts of aggression against other parts of the former Soviet Union more or less with impunity.“That will drive further global uncertainty, further oil shocks, further panics and more economic distress for the whole world.”Earlier, former Labour PM Gordon Brown accused the government of not seeming to “have a clue” about how to deal with the cost of living crisis.Show latest update

1656561119Welcome to The Independent’s live blog on everything related to politics in the UK.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 04:511656565474Boris Johnson rules out early general electionPrime minister Boris Johnson has ruled out calling an early general election, as allies admitted that voters would not welcome a snap vote aimed at saving his premiership.A source close to Mr Johnson dismissed the chances of him calling an early election this year, conceding that cutting and running at a time when he holds a commanding majority in the Commons would not be credible to voters.“The PM won an 80-seat majority, people want us to use it to get s*** done, rather than hold another vote,” the source said.Adam Forrest and Andrew Woodcock report.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 06:041656566222Partygate inquiry to wait until autumnPrime minister Boris Johnson will not face a grilling by the committee investigating whether he lied to parliament over Downing Street parties until the autumn.But no decision has yet been taken on whether oral evidence sessions of questioning by the Commons Privileges Committee will be held in public and before the TV cameras.The Commons voted in April for the committee to conduct an investigation into whether Mr Johnson’s repeated denials that Covid lockdown rules were broken at No 10 amounted to a contempt of parliament.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 06:171656567130Raab under fire for spending £1m on private jetsDominic Raab spent more than £1m on private jets in just nine months as the foreign secretary instead of using regular flights, Labour claims.The deputy prime minister is also under fire for taking up to nine officials with him on government trips – wasting money during a cost of living crisis, the party says.“There are serious questions for the government about how these extortionate costs were run up and what we’re paying for,” Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader said.“The public will want to know if they’re footing the bill for Tory ministers’ expensive in-flight hospitality while working families struggle to put food on their own tables.”Rob Merrick has more.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 06:321656568070MPs ‘should not bring babies to Commons’A cross-party review has recommended that MPs should not be allowed to bring babies into the House of Commons chamber during debates.The report was ordered after an outcry when Labour member Stella Creasy was told not to bring her newborn son to work during debates.According to the committee, MPs should not bring babies into the main chamber or Westminster Hall if they wanted to “observe, initiate, speak or intervene in proceedings”, The Guardian reported.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 06:471656569324Tory MP attacks Sadiq Khan over Met policeBritain’s policing minister has claimed that Sadiq Khan should “share responsibility” for the Metropolitan Police’s slide into special measures.Kit Malthouse suggested, as police and crime commissioner (PCC) for the force, the mayor of London should “consider his position”.But four of the six police forces currently in special measures have Conservative PCCs.The elected role was created by the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government to replace policing boards previously tasked with controlling regional forces’ finances and holding them to account.Lizzie Dearden reports.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 07:081656569588Male MPs try menopause ‘hot flush vest’ – and can’t take the heatMale MPs have tried out vests that simulate the feeling of menopausal hot flushes – and they couldn’t take the heat.Taking part in an event to raise awareness for the sharp increase in demand for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs amid widespread shortages, politicians – including Wes Streeting, Stephen Kinnock and Nick Thomas-Symonds – donned the garments which contained heated pads which are said to mimic the bothersome and often debilitating symptom.“It’s deeply unpleasant and an enveloping heat,” said the shadow health secretary after trying on the vest.“How you would crack on with life, I don’t know. I can’t wait to take this off.”Emily Atkinson has more.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 07:131656572010Truss won’t say if she agrees with Wallace on defence budgetLiz Truss has declined to say if she agrees with defence secretary Ben Wallace’s plea for a significant increase in defence spending, but said the budget must be “fit for purpose”.Speaking from the Nato summit in Madrid, the foreign secretary told Sky News: “We need to make sure that all of the Western alliance is spending more on defence and putting more into … supporting our eastern allies.”Ms Truss added: “I’m not going to get into details of the negotiations of the spending review.”Adam Forrest30 June 2022 07:531656572843Truss says government ‘not speculating about elections’Liz Truss has said the government is “not speculating about elections” but refused to rule out a snap poll.“We are focused on delivering for the British people,” the foreign secretary told Sky News. “We’re facing the worst war in Europe for decades, we’ve got the aftershock of the pandemic, which is having huge effects around the world and inflation, on people’s incomes, on economic growth.“We are spending our time focused on dealing with those challenges, not speculating about elections.”Asked whether the next election should be in 2024 as scheduled, Ms Truss said: “We’re not thinking about that, we’re thinking about getting on with the job.”Zoe Tidman30 June 2022 08:071656573612EU tells UK to ‘come back to the table’The EU has issued a plea to the UK to “come back to the table” to solve the crisis over Northern Ireland, as it set out the huge economic damage from Brexit, Rob Merrick writes. In a speech in London, the vice-president of the European Commission joked that it is now Brussels that wants to get “Brexit done” – while London has refused face-to-face talks for four months.Zoe Tidman30 June 2022 08:20 More

At least 115 UK-based scientists are to lose prestigious European grants and 19 are leaving Britain as a result of a row between London and Brussels over participation in a continent-wide research programme after Brexit.A provisional deal for the UK to remain part of Horizon Europe has been thrown into doubt by Boris Johnson’s threat to tear up the protocol deal on Northern Ireland that he struck with the EU in 2019.The EU is refusing to ratify Britain’s associate membership of the €95bn (£82bn) scheme, which funds projects from particle physics to vaccine research.Earlier this month, almost 150 UK-based scientists who had secured promises of funding for cutting-edge research were told that they must declare their intention to transfer to institutions within the EU by Wednesday this week or lose their grants.And the European Research Council has now revealed that 19 of them have informed it of their intention to leave the UK in order to keep their funding, with another 12 cases yet to be resolved.An ERC spokesperson told Research Professional News: “The preparation of 115 ERC grants offered to UK based researchers will be terminated now that the 29 June deadline has passed.”Under a plan drawn up as part of EU withdrawal, the UK would pay £15bn as an associate member into the scheme over seven years and its scientists could still bid for Horizon funding.Grants were awarded over the past year on this basis, but contracts could not be signed until the UK was formally awarded associate status, which is being withheld in what appears to be a result of the Northern Ireland protocol row.Mr Johnson has infuriated Brussels by tabling legislation that would allow Britain unilaterally to override delicate arrangements negotiated over a period of many months with the aim of keeping the Irish border open after Brexit. The PM complains that his decision to draw a customs border down the Irish Sea has disrupted trade between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain.Among research projects understood to be affected are a star-mapping study being led from Cambridge University and work at Liverpool University on plasma.Researchers losing out on ERC money are eligible to apply for replacement grants underwritten by the UK government.But UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is yet to confirm details of where any support will go.Sir Adrian Smith, president of the Royal Society, told The Independent: “This is the reality of continued uncertainty.“While the UK government’s underwrite will support these scientists to continue their research, the best outcome for both UK and European science is full association to Horizon Europe. “The priority must be resolving this political impasse so that the valuable collaborations and relationships that have been built up over decades are not lost.”Grant-winner Giovanni Rosotti, of the University of Leicester, told RPN earlier this month that he was planning a move to a new host institution in Milan.“It’s not the only factor, but not losing access to ERC funds was a big reason behind my decision to move back to Europe,” he said.“I decided to move because the ERC is not simply a large amount of funding, it’s also very well-known and therefore it attracts the best talent from all over the world when hiring students and post-docs, which I’ll need to do in the coming months.“There’s no guarantee that the alternative replacement scheme from the UK government will do the same. Also, without access to the ERC, the funding for science in UK will massively decrease, and so betting long-term on the UK didn’t sound a wise choice to me.”There was no immediate response from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy or UKRI to The Independent’s request for comment. More

Boris Johnson has urged struggling Britons to accept that the “cost of freedom is always worth paying”, amid fears of Ukraine war “fatigue” as living standards fall.Speaking at the end of the Nato conference, the prime minister sought to bolster faith that the conflict is worth fighting – arguing a Russian victory would worsen the economic situation.Asked if he is worried about “Ukraine fatigue”, amid a cost of living crisis at home, Mr Johnson replied: “The point I would make about the cost of a freedom is that, actually, it is always worth paying.“Unless we get the right result in Ukraine, Putin will be in a position to commit further acts of aggression against other parts of the former Soviet Union more or less with impunity.“That will drive further global uncertainty, further oil shocks, further panics and more economic distress for the whole world.”The “lesson of the 20th century” was that only the defeat of rogue countries who try to change borders by force delivers “a long period of sustained prosperity”, Mr Johnson said.Asked what his war aims are now in Ukraine, the prime minister said it is up to Kyiv to decide whether to seek a peace deal at some point, while insisting that is not on the table at the moment.“Whether they want to cut a deal with Russia, to make some kind of peace, of course that’s a matter for them,” he said, in Madrid.But he added: “There doesn’t seem to be anything to talk about. Putin isn’t even offering a deal.”The prime minister vowed to “intensify military support” for Ukraine, telling reporters: “The right thing for us is to keep going on the course that Nato set out, no matter how difficult it may be”.“We think they do indeed have it in their power to repel the Russians and get them back to the pre-February 24 position,” Mr Johnson said.He announced a new target for defence spending to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP by the end of this decade – at a cost of up to £13bn – amid controversy that he is about to break a current pledge.Quizzed about problems at home, Mr Johnson denied that his government was “complacent” about inflation which is tipped to top 11 per cent this year, partly fuelled by the war.He said he would look at the “root cause”, naming housing and transport as problem areas which he claimed were helping to drive “unnecessary costs”.“I in no way minimise the importance of this. This is a big chance for us now to do things differently,” the prime minister insisted. More

Boris Johnson compares Russia to Nazi Germany at G7 summitBoris Johnson has sought to justify his government’s increase in defence spending by saying that the “cost of freedom is always worth paying” amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.At a Nato summit in Madrid, the PM announced a further £55 billion in defence spending until 2030, while spiralling inflation – currently at 9 per cent – continues to erode people’s spending power and living standards are dropping.When asked at the summit if he is worried about “Ukraine fatigue”, amid a cost of living crisis at home, Mr Johnson replied: “The point I would make about the cost of freedom is that, actually, it is always worth paying.“Unless we get the right result in Ukraine, Putin will be in a position to commit further acts of aggression against other parts of the former Soviet Union more or less with impunity.“That will drive further global uncertainty, further oil shocks, further panics and more economic distress for the whole world.”Earlier, former Labour PM Gordon Brown accused the government of not seeming to “have a clue” about how to deal with the cost of living crisis.Show latest update

1656599453Zahawi scraps bid to gain more control over academy trustsThe government has made a U-turn on key elements of its schools bill that would have given the Department for Education (DfE) more control over academy trusts in England.The bill, tabled by education secretary Nadhim Zahawi, is being opposed by some Conservative and crossbench peers because it gives him a veto over appointments as school trustees, the power to cancel funding agreements, and determine the length of the school day within each trust.Kenneth Baker, the former Tory education secretary under Margaret Thatcher, said in the Lords: “It increases the powers of the secretary of state and the DfE in a way unprecedented since 1870.”A DfE spokesperson said: “We are listening to concerns from peers about how the provisions in the bill would operate in practice, and will make sure the bill protects and strengthens the fundamental freedoms academies enjoy.“That is why we are supporting the temporary removal of clauses 1-18 from the bill, in advance of bringing back revised clauses later in the bill’s passage through parliament.”Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said Mr Zahawi “has ripped up his own plans and is back to the drawing board with his very first piece of primary legislation”.Lamiat Sabin30 June 2022 15:301656596556Barristers offered 15 per cent hike in fees just days after striking for better payCriminal barristers are to receive a 15 per cent fee rise from the end of September, the government announced just days after they closed courts by going on strike.The rise will see a typical criminal barrister receive an additional £7,000 a year, said the Ministry of Justice.Our politics editor Andrew Woodcock will have more on this breaking story as it comes in.Matt Mathers30 June 2022 14:421656595922Defence spending pledge ‘too little, too late’Boris Johnson’s pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 is “too little, too late,” a senior Tory has said.Tobias Ellwood, a former defence secretary, also said now is “not the time to cut the army by 10,000”.Matt Mathers30 June 2022 14:321656594915Wallace welcomes increased defence spendingDefence secretary Ben Wallace has lobbied for increased spending.A source close to Mr Wallace said: “The defence secretary has always been clear that as the threat changes, so should defence spending.”In 2020 the prime minister reversed decades of under-investment in defence and he rightly responded to Russia’s danger by continuing to invest in defence, for which the defence secretary is very grateful.”Matt Mathers30 June 2022 14:151656593251Boris Johnson tells Britons that ‘cost of freedom worth paying’ amid Ukraine ‘fatigue’ fearsAs we’ve been reporting, Boris Johnson is attending the Nato summit, where he is discussing with other world leaders the war in Ukraine among other issues.Speaking in Madrid, the prime minister said the “cost of freedom is always worth paying” as he warned that the economic outlooking at home is likely to get worse before it gets better.Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick has the story: Matt Mathers30 June 2022 13:471656592247One of Keir Starmer‘s shadow ministers has walked away from the Labour leader’s frontbench team.In a resignation letter issued on Thursday Mike Amesbury said he wanted to have more freedom to campaign in his local constituency.Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports: Matt Mathers30 June 2022 13:301656591234Boris Johnson commits to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by end of decadeBoris Johnson has said the UK will spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by the end of this decade. Speaking from the Nato conference in Madrid, the prime minister said: “We need to invest for the long-term in vital capabilities like future combat air whilst simultaneously adapting to a more dangerous and more competitive world. “The logical conclusion of the investments on which we propose to embark, these decisions, is that we’ll reach 2. 5 per cent of GDP on defence by the end of the decade.”Matt Mathers30 June 2022 13:131656590447Rishi Sunak’s ‘stealth tax’ creates 2 million new higher rate payers in just 3 yearsNearly two million more people are paying higher rate income tax because Rishi Sunak has scrapped normal increases in allowances, new figures reveal.The numbers paying the higher 40 per cent rate or the additional 45 per cent rate has soared since Boris Johnson came to power in 2019 because of the “stealth tax”, they show.Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick reports: Matt Mathers30 June 2022 13:001656589247Women and children among latest to make Channel crossing in small boatsWomen and children were among 269 people who made the latest crossings to the UK in small boats.Six boats were intercepted by UK authorities crossing the English Channel on Wednesday, with Border Force and RNLI vessels bringing the migrants ashore at Dover and Dungeness in Kent.The crossings bring the total to have arrived in the UK so far this year to 12,606, compared with 5,911 at this point in 2021 and 2,449 in 2020.The Nationality and Borders Act came into force on Tuesday, and anyone caught piloting a boat carrying migrants in the Channel could face life behind bars.Matt Mathers30 June 2022 12:401656588047Give MPs vote on plans to cut army by 10,000, ex-defence minister saysA Tory former defence minister believes MPs would vote to reverse government plans to axe 9,500 troops by 2025.Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the defence select committee, pressed ministers to hold a Commons vote to decide whether to halt the proposals in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The government wants to cut the size of the regular British army from 82,000 troops to 72,500.Mr Ellwood told the Commons: “Can I strongly commend the government’s exemplary support for Ukraine, but when the head of the British army compares today to 1937 we must listen and we must act.”It’s clearly not time to be cutting our Army by 10,000 troops because this sends a clear message to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that we’re not in it for the long haul, we can’t sustain two battlegroups in Estonia and place pressure on the Army to conduct all its other duties to keep the nation safe.”Can we have a debate and indeed a vote on reversing these cuts?”If there was a free vote I know how the house would act and they’d have the nation’s support.”Matt Mathers30 June 2022 12:20 More