John Baron MP wins Parliamentary vote on Defence Reforms

MP says Government failed to answer questions and must now listen

Today in the House of Commons, John Baron MP led a Back Bench Debate on the Government’s Army Reforms. As part of its proposals, the MoD is intending to replace 20,000 regular troops with 30,000 reservists. However, there are strong indications the reservist recruitment campaign is running into trouble and costs are rising. The well-attended debate was put to a vote, which was won 92 – 0.

John said,

“The Government’s overly-ambitious recruitment campaign is already on the rocks. The MoD’s reservist recruitment campaign is in dire trouble, and will fall well short of its targets for this year and next. Meanwhile costs are rising, and concerns grow about capability gaps. We should halt the axing of the regular battalions until at least we know the reservist plan is viable and cost-effective.”

“We heard many excellent speeches, despite the Government trying to ignore the debate. It was disappointing that our questions were not answered. Many MPs take these issues very seriously, and we will continue to press the Government. The outcome of the vote should make them think again.”