John Baron MP welcomes Fusiliers’ march on Parliament on 18th October

MP will accuse Government of political fix over Army cuts in debate

On Thursday, John Baron MP will welcome and address approximately 400 ex-Fusiliers who will be marching from Whitehall to Old Palace Yard – ETA around 10.10am. The march is part of a campaign to get the Government to reverse its decision to axe the 2^nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2RRF). There will then be a couple of short speeches and a photoshoot. The debate on 2RRF in the House of Commons could start as early as 11.15am.

The move to disband 2RRF is part of the ‘Army 2020’ proposals, which will result in the loss of 20,000 regular infantry soldiers. John has evidence that if the Army cuts were based on military logic [capability and sustainability], two Scottish battalions would have been disbanded [none have], and the better-recruited 2RRF would have been saved.

In addition to securing the House of Commons debate, on 6^th September John sent the MOD a request under the Freedom of Information Act to see the first draft submitted by the Chief of the General Staff as to which battalions should be cut as part of the ‘Army 2020’ programme. He has not yet received a response.

John said,

“These Army cuts are a big mistake, but if there are to be cuts then military logic should prevail. Government interference to save poorly recruited Scottish Battalions smacks of a political fix in the lead-up to the Scottish referendum. 2RRF is the only infantry battalion to be cut for non-military reasons.”

“The MOD’s failure to answer my FOI request within the requisite 20 working days is disappointing. Getting information out of the Government has been like extracting teeth, but is understandable once you see the evidence against it. I have written to the Information Commissioner, about their failure to answer the FOI.”