Defence chief: army pushed to breaking point by fire strike

The armed forces have been pushed towards breaking point by standing in for striking firefighters, Britain's most senior serviceman warned yesterday.

Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, Chief of the Defence Staff, spelt out his fears after the Government said the United States had asked Britain to make troops available to support a possible invasion of Iraq.

Sir Michael's intervention, which comes as the country prepares for an eight-day walkout by firefighters, was delivered with Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, at his side. It will increase pressure on the Government to resolve the dispute quickly.

More than 19,000 servicemen and women ­ 10 per cent of the country's armed forces ­ are on stand-by to provide cover once the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) strike planned for 9am tomorrow starts. Employers and unions will try to avert the action today with a pay offer worth 16 per cent over two years, which would take firefighters' pay above £25,000.

Sir Michael said he was "extremely concerned" over the impact of the dispute on the "military effectiveness" of the forces and on their "morale and motivation".

His warning will leave a fresh question mark over the forces' ability to cope with a prolonged commitment in Iraq.

He said: "Clearly we don't have a box of 19,000 people to be called upon to do firefighting duties. They must have been from operational units.

"We are trying to husband our operational capabilities but clearly we cannot perform to the full extent of our operating capability while we have 19,000 people standing by to do firefighting duties."

He said there were ships that had not been able to sail, air stations running below full capacity and army battalions under strength because they were providing cover. Sir Michael said the troops involved were demotivated, because they were not doing their military training, or because they had been taken off leave.

Mr Hoon said: "It is my job, on the advice that I am given by the chiefs of staff, to make sure that we are able to respond to any emergency in any situation, and that remains the position."

Tony Blair insisted later that British troops would be adequately prepared for any possible action in Iraq. His official spokesman also tried to play down Sir Michael's comments. "It was essentially a statement of the obvious," he said. "It reflects the reality. If you have 19,000 troops on firefighting duties that means they are not doing other things."

Under one plan proposed by employers' officials last night to solve the fire strike, local authorities and the FBU could form a united front to challenge the Government to make extra funding available.

A proposal for a pay and modernisation deal over more than two years will be discussed today by a full meeting of the employers. If they agree, the offer will be put to the union.

But it was not clear if the extra money would come from modernisation or whether more would have to be sought from the Government to avert what could be the most damaging industrial action since the miners' strike in 1984-85.

A joint approach from Labour-controlled fire authorities and firefighters' leaders would place ministers in an extremely difficult position.

Union sources believe, however, that there may be a split among employers. Earlier yesterday John Ransford, one of the employers' negotiators, made it clear that while they were keen to table a substantial offer, there was no new money available. Employers were "re-jigging" existing proposals, he said.