Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, raised concerns in Parliament today about the disbanding of the 2^nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers – challenging the Defence Secretary to confirm whether targets to recruit Army reservists to replace them are being met.

The 2^nd Battalion, which recruits from the North East, is scheduled to be disbanded as part of the Government’s ‘Army 2020’ defence review, which aims to reduce the size of the British Army by 20,000 troops by 2020.  At the same time, Ministers plan to replace this manpower by recruiting 30,000 trained Army reservists by 2018.

Speaking during Defence Questions in the Commons this afternoon, Catherine asked the Defence Secretary:

‘I recently joined over one hundred supporters of the 2^nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, as they marched on Parliament against his Government’s decision to scrap it. Ministers believe the 2^nd Battalion can be replaced by reservists, yet the Chairman of the Northumberland Fusiliers Association is very concerned that it simply won’t be possible to recruit the numbers needed.

‘Could the Secretary of State therefore confirm the extent to which recruitment targets for reservists are actually being met?’

After Defence Questions, Catherine commented:

‘It was clear during Defence Questions today that very serious concerns on this issue are shared across the political divide, yet the Secretary of State was unable to confirm whether the recruitment of Army reservists is on track.

‘He also refused to confirm that plans to cut the regular Army will be paused until it becomes clear that his recruitment target for reservists will actually be met, placing the future of the Army at risk. This is totally unacceptable.’