Labour refuses to promise increase in military size if in power

The shadow defence secretary has refused to pledge an increase in the size of the British Armed Forces if Labour wins the next general election.

There has been intense recent debate surrounding what has been dubbed the "hollowing out" of the UK's military, with particular concerns over its size in the face of global threats, including from a Russian military under Vladimir Putin.

Speaking to Forces News at the Policy Exchange think-tank, John Healey said: "If you look at Labour's record – when we last were in government in 2010, this was a country spending 2.5% of our GDP on defence.

• Labour pledges to set up military strategic HQ within MOD as one of key plans for defence
• Nato would defeat Russia quickly, looking to the future and more: Five key points from CDS' speech
• UK military firepower: How does it stack up in comparison to other armed forces?

"The size of the British Army, the number of full-time troops, was over 100,000.

"Labour will always do what’s required to defend this country. We will always spend what's required to protect our citizens.

"My argument today is we will always reform what’s needed in order to fix the problems."

His comments come as the Chief of the Defence Staff reassured an audience at Chatham House that despite "dangerous and uncertain times", Britain is safe and has what it needs to succeed, adding that "we are not on the cusp of war with Russia".

When pressed on whether he believes Army personnel numbers should return to more than 100,000, Mr Healey replied: "One of the things about being in the opposition is you just don't get access to the information you need to make hard judgements.

"Irrespective of numbers, irrespective of budgets, we've made the commitment that we will undertake within the first year after an election, a strategic defence review that will allow us to get to grips with the capabilities we have, the gaps we face, the threats from our adversaries, the costs that we're incurring and also the finances that we'll need to make sure that we defend this country better in the future."

Part of Labour's plan is to set up a military strategic headquarters within the Ministry of Defence to "restore Britain's military readiness" and "create" a national armaments director post.

When reminded such a directorial role already exists, the shadow defence secretary said: "The title exists, but simply because you call somebody something, you have to give that post the remit and the authority to do the job that's necessary."

The strategic headquarters is intended to provide greater strategic oversight within the MOD and increase the authority and accountability of the Chief of the Defence Staff.

In addition, defence chiefs would see their terms in charge extended from two years to four and Mr Healey also said he wants to improve military procurement.