MP column: Mary Glindon says Army cuts should be halted

This week’s Armed Forces Day has been a great opportunity to thank the men and women of our armed services who we trust and rely on to defend us and to meet our obligations to Nato.

I attended a large reception in the Commons, hosted by Keir Starmer, and was privileged to meet many service personnel whose job is a source of pride for them, their families, and the rest of us.

We shouldn’t forget that they did a great deal to tackle the Covid pandemic.

About 34,000 members of the armed forces worked in hospitals, drove ambulances, and delivered vaccines nationwide.

They are now helping to counter Russian aggression and the government has doubled the size of our force in Estonia, which is on the frontline with Russia and must be defended as part of Nato, whose watchword is that an injury to one is an injury to all.

The government was right to do this, but other actions deserve criticism.

The Conservative government has slashed the size of the Army to its lowest in 300 years. I agree with the party that we should halt further Army cuts.

Those who serve need continuing support when they leave the service. Some find the transition to Civvy Street difficult. Our promise is to bolster support for veterans and we would boost veterans’ mental

health measures.

The professionalism and dedication of our service personnel are superb and all governments should always carefully look after their interests as much as possible.