Discharge plan put on hold after Fox intervenes

Defence Secretary Liam Fox has stepped in to stop a controversial plan which could have seen soldiers identified for discharge from the Army while they served in Afghanistan.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Sep 2010, 10:15 BST
Updated 24th Sep 2010, 10:15 BST

The use of so-called Manning Control Points (MCPs) has been "temporarily suspended" at Dr Fox's request, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said.

The system is used to get rid of some soldiers when the Army is close to full strength, but has been put on hold to examine how it is applied.

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"The Army has temporarily suspended the use of Manning Control Points at the request of the Secretary of State in order to look more closely at how they will be used," the spokeswoman said.

Concerns were raised after it emerged that troops could be chosen to go while serving on the front line but that the process of discharging them would not start until they had returned.

It had been suggested that injured troops could be targeted as part of moves to save money as the ministry seeks cuts of 20 per cent – which Shadow Defence Minister Kevan Jones said would be a "moral betrayal".

An initial assessment suggests 300 to 500 soldiers would have left the Army in 2011-12 as a result of MCP – which is used to ensure the force has the right balance of skills for current operations.

Related topics:Afghanistan