British army now has fewer soldiers than the number killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme

DEFENCE cuts have been blamed for making Britain seem defenceless as new figures show the Army has fewer frontline infantry troops than the number of British soldiers killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

As of August this year there are 19,130 troops, down from 23,630 troops five years ago - according to the Ministry of Defence.

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This number is fewer than the 19,240 British soldiers killed on July 1, 1916 - the first day of the bloody Somme offensive.

Budget cuts and a slowdown in recruiting new troops have been blamed for the dwindling numbers.

Julian Lewis, chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, said: "It is a cause for concern that the regular Army is as small as it is at a time when the potential threats facing NATO and the UK are greater than they have been for 30 years."

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The number of regular soldiers has fallen to 80,780, the lowest for 200 years. But an Army spokesman said: "The Army is sufficiently manned for operational requirements."

The new figures have emerged as tensions rise between NATO members and Russia.

Concern has been mounting over Russia's movement of thousands of soldiers towards its border with Estonia, a NATO ally.

Britain is set to send 800 troops alongside a fleet of missile-launching systems to the border amid fears that the 'aggressive' country could invade Baltic states.

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The problem has worsened since the US election, with President Elect Donald Trump challenging a NATO Article 5 principle that commits alliance members to defending each other from military aggression.

Trump suggested that US protection for the Baltic States would depend on these countries meeting NATO defence spending targets.

But in a statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin reassured the world that “Russia is not going to attack anyone” and claimed the allegations were just a a part of US “hysteria”.

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