KEIGHLEY MP Kris Hopkins has backed a pledge to protect British troops from "spurious" legal claims.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon made the commitment at the Tory party conference in Birmingham.

Mr Hopkins said: "As a former soldier, I am well aware of the huge pressures on our servicemen and women who are rightly expected to behave to the highest possible standards.

"But we have seen a flood of false claims made against them, often many years after a conflict has ended.

"Serious complaints should always be investigated. However, of more than 3,000 recent claims, around half have already been discontinued and another thousand further cases will be thrown out by January.

"These have been a huge waste of time and taxpayers' money.

"The situation has affected military operations and damaged the morale of our troops."

Mr Hopkins also welcomed confirmation that security would remain the Government's top priority, with the UK defence budget increasing every year for the rest of the decade.

He added: "We currently have the biggest defence budget in Europe – meeting the two per cent NATO spending target – and that will not change.

"This is in contrast to Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party which wants to scrap Trident, leave NATO and reduce our armed forces."