One in three Labour MPs want more money spent on the "stretched to capacity" Armed Forces, according to a poll that puts the Government under further pressure to increase spending.
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Former military chiefs have also warned that the Forces are at breaking point, with soldiers' lives at risk because of chronic under-funding. The survey showed cross-party support for defence-spending increases, causing embarrassment for the Government and the Opposition, who have refused any rise. The majority of MPs believe that the Forces are under-funded and overstretched. Spending has come under increased scrutiny with equipment projects in doubt and troops leaving because of poor pay, accommodation and constant operations. The UK National Defence Association (UKNDA), which commissioned the ComRes poll of 159 MPs, said it came at a time when spending was at its lowest since the 1930s but operations were at their highest intensity since the Korean War. It believes that Britain must either increase funding or reduce commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan. A fifth of Labour MPs and a half of all members thought the military was not adequately funded and more than a third believed spending should top 2.2pc of GDP. Winston Churchill, the UKNDA president and grandson of the war leader, accused the Government of endangering troops' lives with a "shoestring" budget. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/26/nforces126.xml |
