Conservatives offer tax incentive as part of 50,000 reservist pledge

Conservatives offer tax incentive as part of 50,000 reservist pledgeImage source, Getty ImagesByRichard WheelerPolitical reporterPublished2 minutes agoThe Conservatives have proposed offering military reservists a tax cut to help increase the number of part-time members of the UK forces to 50,000.Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said reservists with full-time jobs are "clobbered by the taxman for giving up their evenings and weekends".A Conservative government would make a reservist's first 30 days of service per financial year tax-free, with the policy paid for by money saved from reinstating the two-child benefit cap.Defence Minister Luke Pollard accused the Tories of leaving "recruitment and retention in crisis" after their 14 years in power.New rules to make it easier to call up reservists for warPublished15 JanuaryWhich European countries have mandatory or voluntary military servicePublished5 December 2025What's happened to UK defence spending?Published11 JunePollard said: "This Labour government is now rebuilding our military, including through increasing the size of our strategic reserves and giving them more opportunities to work with their regular counterparts."The Conservatives said their pledge would be to recruit approximately 18,000 new reservists to bring the total to 50,000.The trained and untrained strength of the Army, RAF and maritime reserves was more than 32,000 on 1 January 2026, according to government statistics, external.The Tories also want to ensure more reservists complete their minimum training days, which typically number 19 or 27 days.A reservist who meets their minimum training commitment and also passes their military training tests currently receives a tax-free bonus payment on top of their pay.The annual tax-free bounty was paid to 46% of reservists in 2024/25, according to the government, external.Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour was "dithering", highlight...