Hoon axes four regiments

Anger erupted in the Commons today as most of Britain's infantry regiments were abolished or merged.

One MP was thrown out of the chamber after calling Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon "a backstabbing coward".

Annabelle Ewing, SNP member for Perth - HQ of the Black Watch, which is among six Scottish regiments to be merged into a new "super-regiment" - was ejected amid furious scenes.

Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram called it a "day of shame" for a " discredited Defence Secretary" who had " abdicated his responsibility to defend our armed forces from the Treasury".

Mr Hoon said the infantry would be cut by more than 10 per cent, with the Army cut by 1,500 troops and about 400 soldiers made redundant. Three of the infantry's 40 battalions will be axed and one, a Parachute Regiment battalion, will see its role changed.

General Sir Mike Jackson, the head of the Army, said: "While the Army cherishes tradition it cannot base future capability on tradition alone."

Jeff Duncan of Save The Scottish Regiments said troops such as those of the

Black Watch who had "put their lives on the line" in Iraq had been "betrayed". "They fought for us - we must fight for them," he said. A mass rally is planned in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Mr Hoon insisted that the "golden thread" of regimental tradition would be preserved because the merged units would be allowed to keep their old names in brackets. But critics said the units' independence and cohesion would be lost. "This isn't about sentiment. What the politicians don't understand is that soldiers don't fight for Queen and country, or democracy, or Tony Blair," said an infantry officer.

"They fight for their regiment and their mates ... the identity of the thing they fight for will be damaged."

The changes are aimed at making the Army more flexible. But many who are not against the reforms are furious about the infantry cuts, believing they are driven by the need to save money.