A Conservative MP has opposed the coalition Government plans to scale back the number of soldiers, claiming the country’s defence forces are already “cut to the bone”.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed that the Army will soon be scaled back from 82,000 to 102,000 amid huge across-the-board cuts to public spending.

It is feared in some quarters that the Yorkshire Regiment, which recruits heavily in the Bradford area, could be among those affected .

Shipley Tory MP, Philip Davies, said: “I think our armed forces and defence capabilities are already being cut to the bone. We keep asking them to do more and more with less and less.

“I believe that it is important that we have a strong defence and effective army forces and believe it is more important to be protecting our country than giving £20billion to the European Union in membership and increasing the amount we are giving in overseas aid. I think we are getting our priorities completely wrong.”

Mr Davies was speaking after the Mr Hammond told the annual Land Warfare Conference that Britain will rely more on its allies and part-time reservists, whose numbers are set to double to 30,000 as a result of plans set out in the Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review.

In future, the reserves would take on some tasks currently carried out by regular troops, which in turn would require greater commitment by individual reservists to training.

“This is a fundamental change in role requiring a fundamental cultural shift in approach: a new deal for reserves,” said Mr Hammond.

The Defence Secretary also indicated that when it came to deciding which units were to be axed, the Army would take account of demographic changes around the country.

Scottish regiments have been especially vulnerable as they are failing to meet recruitment targets and rely heavily on soldiers from the Commonwealth to bulk up their ranks. However, it is feared line regiments like the Yorkshire Regiment, the Mercian, The Royal Irish and Welsh might also face cuts.

Keighley MP Kris Hopkins, pictured, who served for five years with the Duke of Wellington regiment, now part of The Yorkshire Regiment, said: “I am concerned but I want to hear the facts because the truth is that we do not know how this is going to be implemented.”

However, Bradford East MP David Ward welcomed a scaling back of the Army and said it was “fundamental” that Britain works with its allies, the United Nations and Nato, to create a more efficient force.

He said: “We must ensure that we have the military personnel and the capability fitting with our place in the modern world.”

Meanwhile, Labour shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy accused Mr Hammond of “presiding over decline, not planning for the future”.

“The Government plans to plug self-made capability gaps rather than reform our forces for the future,” he said.