8 hours ago
New British Army recruits 'should be paid a £10,000 bonus' to help solve the forces' manpower problems and make UK 'war ready'
Britain should pay new recruits a one-off £10,000 bonus as a way of stopping the British Army haemorrhaging manpower, the Liberal Democrats have suggested.
Leader Ed Davey suggested the cash be paid out to new recruits who complete their training and serve for at least two years.
Additionally, re-joining bonuses for veterans should be increased to £20,000 to help retain talent, under a scheme that would cost the taxpayer up to £45million.
The British Army has struggled to recruit and retain soldiers for years, with the trained personnel strength hitting 70,752 in January this year.
Sir Ed, who last week visited British soldiers in Estonia, said the bonuses could be paid to help the force reach 73,000, the level desired in the Government's Strategic Defence Review earlier this week.
Sir Ed said that UK troops were doing 'incredible work' amid a growing threat from Russia.
But he added: 'It is clear that given the threat of a barbaric Putin and the challenge of an erratic Trump, we need to do more to make Britain war-ready.
'A new bonus scheme is needed to urgently attract new recruits, encourage experienced ex-soldiers back into the Armed Forces and reverse years of short-sighted troop cuts under the Conservatives.
'War readiness also starts at home. That's why I'm calling for a public awareness campaign aimed at every home in Britain – to make sure we're all prepared for the possibility of a conflict or hostile acts such as major cyber attacks.
'We need to also step up cooperation with our European friends, including through the Joint Expeditionary Force, to protect our interests in the Arctic and High North against Putin's imperialism.'
Ministers have acknowledged the British Army - and other UK forces - are struggling with numbers.
At the start of June Defence Secretary John Healey suggested it might be the 2030s before the 73,000 target was met.
Asked when the Army would reach the target he told the BBC: 'We've narrowed the gap, but we've still got more people leaving than joining.
'The first job is to reverse that trend and then I want to see in the next parliament our ability to start to increase the number.'
