Former army chief Lord Richards joins warnings over defence cuts

Former chief of the defence staff Lord Richards warns UK risks “living on the fumes of the past”

By Josh May

16 Mar 2015

Another former defence chief has issued a warning about the state of the UK’s armed forces, saying they are “living on the fumes of the past” in the wake of budget cuts.

Lord Richards, the former chief of the defence staff, told Channel 4’s Dispatches programme it could be “very dangerous” if another country stands up to the UK.

"It’s a risk of hypocrisy that we set out to be very influential and play a leading role but actually it’s very thin and our bluff will be called and if it’s called in a conflict situation that could be very dangerous."

Read the most recent articles written by Josh May - Think tank calls for new cross-departmental drive to boost social mobility

Share this page