General Lord Richards: Thousands more army recruits needed

The former head of the armed forces, General Lord Richards, has said the government needs to recruit thousands more soldiers to deal with the threat posed by Islamist militants.

General Lord Richards told the BBC's Andrew Marr that the British Army ought to be able to sustain ''a demanding operation'' as it played a role in the Middle East and further afield.

''We have to see the grand strategic challenge that is confronting us now,'' he said.