---

Defence Reform Bill

As I have said on numerous occasions in this debate, in other debates and in the media, and as my right hon. and hon. Friends have said, we support the thrust of the reforms. We know about the withdrawal from Germany and that the Army will end operations in Afghanistan in 2014, but that does not alter the fact that we must understand that the downsizing of the Army and the Government’s stated policy mean that as the Regular numbers downsize and reduce an uplift in Reserve numbers should go alongside that. The central thrust of the whole debate is that we do not have confidence that the uplift in Reserves will be sufficient to conform to the policy on the reduction in the number of Regular forces. That is the central point.