Howard accuses Blair of running down armed forces
Conservative leader Michael Howard today accused the Government of placing the armed forces under unsustainable pressure by asking them to carry out more work without increased funding.
He also claimed Prime Minister Tony Blair did not understand the culture of the armed forces and accused him of “shocking” insensitivity over his plans to amalgamate army regiments.
Speaking today in Blackpool, the Conservative leader said Britain’s soldiers had been asked to do more “without being given the resources to do the job”.
Accusing Labour of letting armed forces staff levels drop 3,000 “below establishment”, he said: “At a time of growing threats, global instability and new dangers Mr Blair has decided to cut our armed forces. This cannot be right.
“The strain placed on military manpower by this Government strikes at the heart of the flexible force structure we need to cope with contemporary threats.”
Planned cuts and mergers in four battalions were a “stab in the back” for soldiers in the line of fire, Mr Howard added.
“A soldier’s loyalty is not just to Queen and country but also to those he or she fights alongside, a group given a sense of comradeship by our regimental system. The Government’s insensitivity to those ties is shocking.”
The Government had failed to manage military equipment properly, wasting millions of pounds on “failed” Chinook helicopters and failing to get frontline troops the equipment they needed.
And Mr Blair’s “obsession” with Europe was putting Britain’s relationship with the United States at risk, Mr Howard warned.
In contrast, the Conservatives would “save” the regiments, retain Britain’s three Type 23 frigates, and spend £2.7 billion more on frontline defence than Labour.
They also valued the job performed by the army, air force and navy, he said.
