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| Compromise over TA cuts announced | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Ministers have scaled back planned cuts to the Territorial Army and made concessions over training after fierce criticism from the opposition. | |
| The Ministry of Defence wanted to cut £20m from the TA budget and halt all training for six months except for those due to be sent to Afghanistan. | The Ministry of Defence wanted to cut £20m from the TA budget and halt all training for six months except for those due to be sent to Afghanistan. |
| But they now say every unit will get one night's training a month while the TA budget will not be cut by as much. | |
| The Conservatives said the plans were a "shambles" and should be dropped. | |
| 'Vital contribution' | |
| The Lib Dems said the government had shown poor judgement and that the move could do long-term damage to the TA. | |
| Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell told MPs that the TA made a "vital contribution" to the security of the UK. | |
| Break the habit and you break the TA Liam Fox, Shadow Defence Secretary | |
| However, he said the government had invested huge sums in recruiting more regular troops to the army on the advice of military chiefs. | |
| As result, it was recognised that funding for other areas of the defence budget would have to be "reprioritised". | |
| While he said TA members would be "disappointed" by this, he said he hoped they would recognise the reality of the situation and that support for the Afghan operation must remain the UK's "main effort". | |
| However, he said he had "listened" to concerns about the future of the TA and was adjusting his proposals, meaning the TA's budget would be cut by £2.5m less than originally planned. | |
| He said it was "emphatically" not the case that troops due to be deployed to Afghanistan would be affected by the changes. | |
| Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said £43m was being cut from the TA budget and said it was vital that routine as well as pre-deployment training was protected. | |
| "The TA is a habit," he said. "Break the habit and you break the TA." | |
| He added: "The proposals are shambles and they must be reversed." | |
| The BBC's political correspondent Carole Walker said it was unlikely that these steps would satisfy critics of government support for the TA. | The BBC's political correspondent Carole Walker said it was unlikely that these steps would satisfy critics of government support for the TA. |
| The future of the TA has risen up the political agenda in recent weeks with more 500 reservists now serving in Afghanistan. | The future of the TA has risen up the political agenda in recent weeks with more 500 reservists now serving in Afghanistan. |
| Conservative leader David Cameron has claimed some reservists are not getting the training they need before being deployed abroad and, in some instances, have not been fully paid. | Conservative leader David Cameron has claimed some reservists are not getting the training they need before being deployed abroad and, in some instances, have not been fully paid. |
| Ministers have denied this, saying that all troops being sent abroad are thoroughly prepared. | Ministers have denied this, saying that all troops being sent abroad are thoroughly prepared. |