What the media says about me...

"Gordon Prentice: serial rebel, serious parliamentarian, as irritating as a mosquito, as persistent as an itch."

Ann Treneman. The Times. May 2009

MP Calls for Limit on Army Recruits from the Commonwealth

Tags: Army | Navy | Press Release | War

Monday, 21 July 2008 00:00

There should be a cap on the number of soldiers and sailors recruited from Commonwealth countries says Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice. The MP raised the issue in the Commons today, quizzing Defence Minister, Bob Ainsworth. The Minister acknowledged the valuable contribution made by overseas recruits but steered clear of any commitment to an upper limit. There are estimates that show one in five soldiers in the British army could come from Commonwealth countries by 2020. Commonwealth citizens in the army has gone up from 360 in 1998 to over 6,600 today. Over the past ten years the proportion of Commonwealth soldiers has risen from 0.4% to 6.7% last year. Speaking after the exchange, the MP commented: “We all think of the Ghurkhas and their long record of service in the British Army. We know that Commonwealth recruits have always had a place in the British Army and in the Royal Navy but, in my view, there must be a limit.” “Recruitment and retention is a problem. But that means paying our military a decent wage and giving them the support and help they need when returning to civilian life. The Government is now doing this.” “The military must reflect the nation from which it is drawn and which it serves. That is the brutal truth.”