Number of army recruits from Yorkshire falls by nearly 30pc
THE NUMBER of British Army recruits from Yorkshire has fallen by almost 30 per cent.
According to the latest figures, 640 people from the county joined in 2021/22, down from 890 the previous year.
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said it comes after the Conservative Government “weakened the foundations of our Armed Forces” with troop cuts.
Since 2010, the number of fulltime troops has fallen from over 100,000 to 77,190.
The Labour MP for Wentworth and Dearne is also urging the Government to halt plans for further cuts, which will see the British Army reduced to 73,000 soldiers by 2025.
“Conservative ministers have cut the British army to its smallest size in 300 years, with frontline troops bearing the brunt of these cuts,” he said.
“Our Armed Forces are essential to our national security and resilience.
“With growing Russian aggression, the Government is pushing ahead with further cuts to the Army by 10,000 troops over the next three years.
“Ministers must halt these cuts now.”
The Government has said it is “modernising” the Army, as part of its ‘Future Soldier’ programme, to “address next-generation threats across the globe”.
It has promised to invest £41.3bn over 10 years, and adopt a range of new technologies, longrange weapons systems, state-ofthe-art tanks, helicopters and unmanned drones.
Commander Field Army Lieutenant General Ralph Wooddisse said the Future Soldier programme will be “the most radical change for the British Army in 20 years”.
Speaking in November, he said: “It will mean changes to the way we operate our structure, technology, and workforce.
“This will make us leaner, more agile and adaptable. Future Soldier is about ensuring the British Army is a competitive and resilient organisation able to meet the challenges of modern warfare.”
The number of personnel in the UK Armed Forces, has fallen from 191,660 to 149,545 since 2010.