Liam Fox condemns "twisted" plan to suspend TA training

The Territorial Army was already in decline.  Its numbers have fallen from 57,000 to 19,000 since Labour came to office.

The Ministry of Defence is now suggesting that the TA suspends all training for six months to save money.  London Assembly Member James Cleverly (and a TA officer for fifteen years) used his blog to suggest it could be "the final nail in the coffin" of the TA.

Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox issued this statement to ConservativeHome:

"This is a slap in the face for all our brave Territorials from a Government that has lost the plot when it comes to priorities. A Government willing to spend £12bn on a pointless VAT cut to support its political reputation but unwilling to spend £20m to train our TA while we are at war in Afghanistan has a twisted set of priorities and is increasingly unfit for office."

Tim Montgomerie