“Although I handed over the appointment of Chief of the General Staff on 28 August this year, I do not leave the active list of the Army until 22 November 2009. David Cameron has invited me to assist his Defence team by becoming a working Conservative peer sometime after 22 November.

I am accepting this invitation in the hope that I am able to continue to contribute to an area of national life that has been my vocation for the last 40 years. Defence of the realm, the safety of our citizens and the well-being of the Armed Forces, now and in the future, is of paramount importance. 

I am grateful for this opportunity to continue to serve the nation, subject to the completion of the appropriate procedures.”