MP urges minister to reverse armed forces cuts

On the floor of the House of Commons this afternoon, South Lakes MP Tim Farron quizzed ministers over their decision to cut Britain's armed forces, in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking during Foreign Office questions in Parliament, Tim said: "Britain's army is smaller than it's been at any time for 200 years, and we currently have plans to reduce to our armed forces by a further 20,000 individuals.

"Would the minister agree that if we're going to stand by our allies in central and Eastern Europe, we need to be a position where we are militarily strong enough to do so."

Responding, the Minister of State for Europe James Cleverly said: "I can assure him that the close working between the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defence and our international partners will ensure that the UK remains absolutely a top tier defence country, within NATO and will continue to support our NATO allies and countries in the region to defend themselves against both physical and digital threats."