Farage vows to increase Army to 100,000 as he launches Reform UK election contract

Nigel Farage has launched Reform UK's election manifesto - or 'contract' as the party is calling it - with a pledge to recruit 30,000 personnel to the British Army.

Speaking from a community centre in South Wales, Mr Farage also said the next government should increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, rising to 3% as quickly as possible.

"I can't think the world has been in a more perilous place at any point in my lifetime," he said.

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Mr Farage then explained he "was born after the Cuban missile crisis, just to clarify".

He said he wanted Reform UK to "become a real opposition to a Labour government".

He said Reform was a "party that knows what we believe in", as opposed to the Conservatives who "don't agree on anything" and are too busy "arguing amongst themselves".

But what policies did Mr Farage outline for Defence? We have outlined the key points below.

Increase in spending and troops

Mr Farage said one area that needed spending was defence, which had been neglected "very, very badly".

"In terms of expenditure, look, we think government should push on to 2.5% and then 3% of GDP as quickly as they possibly could," he said.

Mr Farage also mocked Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak's idea of re-introducing a type of National Service, and said his party would instead look to recruit 30,000 full-time personnel.

He said: "Frankly, this barmy idea of saying 'we're going back to National Service' - 'Oh no we're not, all we're going to do is take 30,000 young people and, at vast expense, give them a year's training'.

"What we ought to be doing is saying,  look, there were 100,000 people in the Army in 2010, there are 72,000 people in the Army now.

"Let's not recruit 30,000 part-timers, let's actually recruit 30,000 people full-time to be in the services - and a similar principle would of course apply across the Navy and the Air Force."

Pay review, education and new Armed Forces Justice Bill 

Reform UK leader Mr Farage said his party would look to increase basic pay across the military, which would boost recruitment and retention.

He said it was "unacceptable a private soldier is paid less than an Amazon worker".

As well as pay, Reform UK's contract outlined plans to offer free education to personnel both during and after their military service to allow for an easier transition back into civilian life.

It also promised to introduce a new Armed Forces Justice Bill to "protect our servicemen and women on active duty inside and outside the UK from civil law and human rights lawyers".

Reform also said this bill would create a military watchdog "to fast-track complaints and appeals in housing and welfare".

Procurement and Defence manufacturing

Reform UK said it would Introduce incentives and tax breaks to boost the UK defence industry, as well as improve equipment self-sufficiency and look to ensure Britain is manufacturing world-class products for export.

The party said it would launch a new Joint Acquisition Corps to make sure procurement was also world-class.

It said the Ministry of Defence needed to "listen to soldiers on the frontline and ensure they get the equipment they need".

Veterans

Reform said it would set up a number of national rewards and benefits for veterans and their families, including travel, under the name 'You Serve, You Deserve'.

It also said it would investigate a 'Veterans First' priority status that would look at healthcare, housing, training and education.

Key public sector leadership roles would have veterans given preferential qualification, with roles such as "Chief Superintendent of Police Forces, CEO/COO roles in hospitals amongst others".

Taking 'back control'

Reform UK outlined two areas it would look to "take back control" of recruitment and accommodation.

The party's 'contract' said recruitment had become a "crisis due to woeful private sector outsourcing, bureaucracy and incompetence".

Reform proposed that "veterans can be best motivators for recruiting new people into the Armed Forces".

As far as accommodation, Reform said it had been "poorly run and outsourced property management contracts have failed our Armed Forces". 

As a result, the parry said, "thousands of homes are in poor condition or uninhabitable, which is inexcusable".