MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Drastic budget cuts anticipated for UK Ministry of Defence

At least one RAF base is to be closed and Cyprus scaled back

The British Ministry of Defence is facing hundreds of millions of pounds in cuts - including the closure of at least one RAF base - as it struggles to balance its books, it was reported.

Channel 4 News reported that ministers will announce a package of cuts next week in an attempt to address a projected £6 billion overspend in its budget over the next decade.

In a statement to the program, the MoD acknowledged it was facing some “hard decisions” but insisted current operations would not be affected as a result.

As well the closure of an RAF base, the program reported the British sovereign base in Cyprus will be scaled back while there will also be cuts in the MoD Police, IT, human resources and other back office functions.

Ministers were said to have wanted to announce the cuts as part of the Pre-Budget Report on Wednesday but were unable to reach agreement in time.

In a statement to the program, the MoD said: “This is speculation as no final decisions have been made.

”We routinely review our spending to ensure Afghanistan remains the top priority. Although some hard decisions will have to be made, no measures will affect operations”.