Coronavirus: Military Offered To Government On 'Regular Basis'

The Government is planning for "any second eventuality" in the coronavirus pandemic, with military assistance offered "on a regular basis", the Defence Secretary has stated.

Ben Wallace was responding to calls from Defence Select Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood in the House of Commons to give the Armed Forces a bigger role in the response to COVID-19.

Mr Ellwood called for "greater use of our senior Armed Forces to help advance Whitehall's strategic thinking, operational planning and delivery as well as clarity of the message".

"They are, after all, trained for crisis management and emergency planning - let's make full use of them," he added.

The Defence Secretary responded: "We have already started planning for any second eventuality.

"Whether that is a second wave, whether that is not a wave but an alternative challenge, whether it is winter pressures, whether it is floods, whether it is Brexit. All of that is ongoing.

"I'm confident that the men and women will be able to deliver whatever demands are put on Government.

"I offer them to Government on a regular basis and I know the Prime Minister is incredibly supportive of taking up that offer when the needs fit."

Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson described a second wave of the virus as an inevitability.

New coronavirus restrictions are soon to take effect in parts of the UK, with tougher measures already in place for parts of north-west England, West Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Last week, Mr Ellwood told BBC Radio 4: "95% per cent of our military are in barracks right now and I do believe we could call upon their support far greater than we currently are.

"Following the briefings this morning in Number 10, arguably the biggest threat facing this nation is actually COVID-19 and with cases once again rising we must learn lessons from the first spike, and it's clear that the bandwidth, the capacity of all governments, including the UK's, are being tested by this enduring emergency."

UK Armed Forces personnel have played a key role in the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

During the peak of the military's response to COVID-19, 20,000 troops were at readiness, with more than 4,000 of them deployed at any one time.

Their role included assisting the NHS by helping set up Nightingale hospitals, operating mobile testing sites and delivering personal protective equipment (PPE).