By Chris Ferguson

UNDER-FIRE defence chief Sir Alistair Irwin is expected to yield to pressure and take a hands-off approach to regimental reform.

It is thought he will quit the chairmanship of the Committee of Scottish Colonels which will decide the fate of the country’s six infantry regiments.

His place would be taken by an independent arbiter, most likely to be former NATO secretary-general Lord Robertson, who as George Robertson MP was Defence Secretary.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Alistair, who is also Colonel of The Black Watch, has been accused of having a conflict of interests—fighting his regimental corner and chairing the committee which will consign one regiment to history.

Standing aside in favour of an independent chairman will allow him to defend The Black Watch’s interests, unimpeded by these allegations.

Yesterday, the MoD in Scotland could not confirm the move but a spokesman said that if the colonels cannot come to an agreement about which regiment will go, then the decision may go to arbitration.

The colonels of the six threatened Scottish Division regiments—The Black Watch, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, King’s Own Scottish Borderers, Royal Highland Fusiliers, Royal Scots and the Highlanders—will convene a week on Thursday to review the responses of questionnaires distributed to all troops.

The decision on which regiment will be axed, and what form the Scottish infantry will take in the future, will be taken when the colonels reconvene to vote on October 4.

It is this meeting that would have been chaired by Sir Alistair and which is now due to be taken by Lord Robertson.

A military insider said there is strong speculation that the meeting will be unable to reach a clear conclusion and so it will fall to Lord Robertson to make his own recommendation to the director of infantry at the MoD, Brigadier Robbie Scott-Bowden.

In turn, ratification of Lord Robertson’s recommendation and Brigadier Scott-Bowden’s decision would come when the executive committee of the Army Board meets on November 5.

Yesterday, one military source said, “Sir Alistair could not, as Colonel of The Black Watch, fight his regimental corner within the council of Colonels and then sit as chairman of the committee which will effectively destroy one regiment’s heritage.

“Much has been made of the discussion document from May last year which has been attributed to Sir Alistair. What has to be borne in mind is that he is also Adjutant General of the Army and has to take a strategic overview of likely future defence requirements. It is his job to present various scenarios in written submissions—but there is nothing to say these will be accepted.”