Tory MPs prepare to attack Coalition over plan to reduce size of the Army

Conservative MPs will next week attack Coalition plans to boost the number of part-time soldiers at the expense of full-time regulars.

  The proposals represent the most radical shake up of the Territorial Army in its 100-year history.

 A newly-formed group of Tory backbenchers fighting cuts to the military have called a parliamentary debate on Tuesday in a bid to block the Ministry of Defence’s controversial plan. One sceptical MP said that anyone who thought the strategy would work must have "smoked a lot of dope".

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph last year, Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, said he wanted to double the size of the Territorial Army from 15,000 to 30,000 while reducing the regular army by 20,000 to 82,000.

Critics argue the plan will undermine the capability of the armed forces and that many employers will not want to lose their staff for months on end when they are asked to deploy overseas.

John Baron, the Tory MP for Basildon and Billericay leading the group pushing for a fair deal for the forces, said: “The debate will allow us to question whether the increase in reservists is a false economy when compared to retaining regular battalions.

“The Government appears reluctant to disclose figures and has admitted it costs more to train reservists. Furthermore, the fact that only one in four reservists are currently deployable also adds uncertainty to Government estimates.