John Baron MP secures Parliamentary Urgent Question on Army Reserve recruitment

MP: Government should stop trying to get defence on the cheap

Today in the House of Commons, the Speaker granted John Baron MP an Urgent Question to ask the Secretary of State for Defence about recruitment into the Army Reserve. The most recent UK Armed Forces Quarterly Personnel Report, released last week, confirms that recruitment into the Army Reserve is actually going backwards. In the period from 1st April 2013 to 1st October 2014 the Army Reserve lost 70 soldiers, and in the three months to 1st October only 20 new Reservists were recruited – fewer than seven per month. In order to achieve its plans, around 11,000 Reservists will need to sign up by 2018/19.

John has consistently criticised the Government’s Army reforms, believing the decision to replace 20,000 Regulars with 30,000 Reservists is unviable and will not prove cost-effective, and has led to the loss of otherwise well-recruited and historic units such as 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

In the Chamber, John asked,

“Given the extra money the MoD is having to throw at these failing reforms, how much extra are these plans now costing over and above the original estimates?”

“How big are our capability gaps, can the Government guarantee no operational fallout, and what assessment has been made regarding these issues?”

“In this increasingly uncertain world, has the time not come for a fundamental reappraisal of the need for stronger defence? We must stop trying to get out defence on the cheap.”

The Minister did not answer any of the questions.

John said afterwards,

“The Government must face up to the fact that its Army Reserve reforms are on the rocks. Despite high-profile media campaigns, the Army Reserve numbers are falling. The MoD needs to grasp reality before it is too late and restore the Regular Army to 100,000. Such numbers would send a strong signal that Britain is serious about its defence.”