Hunt: 'As we've seen in Ukraine when it comes to modern day armies size really does matter'

Sir Jeremy, who also served as a Tory Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, says this is too small to deter hostile states when Russia is “running rampant in Ukraine” and China is “very aggressive”.

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He said: “The fact of the matter is that when it comes to modern day armies — as we can see in Ukraine — size matters.”

Sir Jeremy warned Britain must “plan for the worst if we want the best possible chance of avoiding war”.

He said: “The way you avoid war is by making sure you have the military strength and capabilities so your opponents think it is not worth the risk. In the case of China, the West has been too weak for too long.”

In April, the Army stood at just 74,400 — down from 80,730 in 2022. The Strategic Defence Review warned of a “workforce crisis” which it blamed on “poor recruitment and retention, shoddy accommodation, falling morale and cultural challenges”.

In September, Putin ordered a 180,000 increase in the regular size of the Russian army to 1.5 million active servicemen.

A former general told the Sunday Express that “anyone who thinks an army of 76,000 will cut the mustard is naive”, adding: “Ukraine is in trouble because it has the tech but is running out of troops.”

Sir Jeremy warned the “big lesson of the last century is autocrats and dictators only respect strength, and that’s why we as a country need to show strength, resolve and confidence”.

He said he believes the “appalling” pull-out from Afghanistan was “one of the things that persuaded Putin to take the risk of invading Ukraine”.