Tories 'hollowing out' UK's defence with regiment cull

The Conservatives have been accused of “hollowing out” Britain’s armed forces as Rishi Sunak tries to turn the focus toward defence for the final days of the general election.

- ARCHIE MITCHELL, DAVID MADDOX

After nearly 15 years of Tory rule, the British Army has lost 23 regiments, with the number of units at its lowest level since 2010, The Independent can reveal. New research by Labour shows the army has lost more than a tenth of its regiments, with cuts from the Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Artillery, Royal Medical Corps, Royal Military Police and Royal Logistics Corps.

Some of the cut regiments include those with historical significance. The 1st and 2nd Royal Tank Regiments (RTR) were both lost to a merger in 2014. A predecessor of 1 RTR took part in the first ever tank offensive in 1916. During the Second World War, the regiment also took part in the Battle of El Alamein in 1942 and the Normandy landings of June 1944.

The cuts mean there are just 176 regular and reserve regiments remaining.

Meanwhile, separate figures seen by The Independent show the proportion of serving personnel living in the worst-graded military single-living accommodation is now nearly 40 per cent. Official figures showed there are nearly 30,000 personnel living in accommodation that is either grade four or below, the lowest gradings given by the Ministry of Defence.