SOUTH Cheshire MP Edward Timpson has applauded the Government climb-down over plans to drastically cut training for the Territorial Army.

On October 15, the Government announced that weekly and monthly Territorial Army training would be cut by £20 million – wiping out training for tens of thousands of Territorials.

This represents a third of the Territorial Army’s annual budget.

However, following sustained public and political pressure, the plans were scrapped.

Since 2002, some 20,000 reservists have seen active service in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans, most of them from the TA.

But cuts over the last twelve years have seen numbers in the TA fall from 57,000 to 35,000.

Mr Timpson said: “Our reserves need all the support they can get, both in terms of training and equipment.

“We should not send a single soldier into battle if we cannot say that everything possible has been done to prepare them.

“Why would any young man or woman walk in to our local TA office if they are not absolutely confident that their Government supports them 100%?”