PM axe for 9500 soldiers
BRITAIN will boost defence spending by billions – but still cut thousands of troops, Boris Johnson said yesterday.
Speaking at the Nato Summit in Madrid, the PM said the UK would lift armed forces cash from two per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent by the end of the decade. Based on current figures, this would amount to an extra £55.1billion by 2030.
But he vowed to press on with cutting 9500 soldiers – leaving an Army of just
72,500. He said: “The most important thing to our Armed Forces is that they are brilliantly equipped. We have the best troops in the world. I want them to have the kit that they need.”
Highlighting equipment boosts, he said it was necessary to “invest in the long term” while adapting to a “more dangerous and more
competitive world”. However the 2.5 per cent rise is less than the three per cent demanded by Tory critics. All Nato members are expected to spend at least two per cent of GDP on their militaries, but the UK is just one of nine to meet the target. Johnson said the West must support Ukraine “as much as we can”.