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Defence in the United Kingdom

We need to look at things proportionally. We could have party knockabout—[Hon. Members: ““Why not?””] I have been advised that it is not the desired way to proceed. Under the previous Conservative Administration, there were massive cuts—[Interruption.] I have just indicated that there are issues we must address and we are trying to do that by putting into place a range of packages. I could ask Opposition Members why those packages were not already in place. If they were so valuable, why were they viewed as secondary? The reality is that we are using the TA and the reserves to a considerable extent. As I said on Monday, one cannot tell the difference in the field: they are thoroughly professional members of Her Majesty’s armed forces and we are trying to make sure that we increase their number. Members could help us to recruit even greater numbers by highlighting the qualities that the TA brings to the strength of the British armed forces.