More British troops head for Iraq

Britain is ready to send more troops to Iraq to replace the Spanish forces being pulled out of the coalition.

The UK could be asked for around 1,700 more soldiers - with many being deployed in hotspot cities such as Najaf or other areas north of their southern base of Basra.

The Ministry of Defence today admitted that talks with other coalition members were being held on how best to plug the gap led by the withdrawal of the 1,300 Spanish troops.

Up until now, officials have only said that Britain's deployment is kept "under constant review."

Now Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has come under Tory pressure to make a clear statement of his plans in the Commons, amid fresh worries that the armed forces will be overstretched. Whitehall is understood to have drawn up a complex series of options for Britain's role.

These range from simply sending another 1,500 to 2,000 troops, to taking over command of a second multinational division in central southern Iraq which would significantly raise Britain's military and political stake in the country.

Britain already has around 7,500 troops in Iraq.