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Foreign Affairs and Defence

The hon. Gentleman will be aware that in the last five years of the Conservative Government, the defence budget was cut by £500 million each year. It has increased by £1 billion each year in the 10 years while this Government have been in office. The largest ever reduction in the Army took place between 1990 and 1997 and involved a cut of 50,000 troops by the previous Tory Government. [Hon. Members: ““The cold war finished.””] The number of troops in the Army is now roughly at the same level as it was in 1997.