The defence secretary has announced that nearly 400 additional British troops will be sent to Iraq.

In a Commons statement Geoff Hoon detailed plans to increase the presence of UK forces ahead of the planned handover of power on June 30.

An additional 370 troops will be sent to the Gulf, bringing the total number of UK armed servicemen and women in Iraq to 8,900.

Strategic talks with coalition partners will continue alongside attempts to agree a new UN security council resolution on Iraq.

"That resolution should be completed before June 30 and I hope it will encourage other countries to contribute troops," Hoon said.

"We, with our coalition partners, are considering the levels and dispositions of forces in the months ahead required to support in particular the sovereign interim government of Iraq through a process leading to the election of a transitional assembly and government early in 2005," he added.

"Further changes to the UK military contribution in Iraq that will be appropriate to support this process, we will of course inform the House at the earliest opportunity. At present however, no such decision has been taken."

Speculation has been rife for weeks that the government was preparing to increase its troop deployment in a bid to cope with the growing security crisis in Iraq.

Number 10 had earlier sought to calm fears that troops would be heading into dangers zones where US troops are failing to maintain order.

"This is not the big strategic decision," Downing Street said. "The forces will only be deployed to Britain's existing southern area of operations."

The deployment was also said to be "a response to specific needs identified in our theatre".

Ministers had been under pressure not to make the announcement during the half term parliamentary recess, which begins on Friday.

Commons vote

Liberal Democrat Paul Keetch questioned whether the call-up was an admission of failure.

"Does this mean that in effect the security situation is deteriorating?" he asked.

He also called on the government to "bring back to this house" any extension to the remit of the British operation in Iraq.

But Hoon resisted this on the grounds that policy on Iraq has already been decided and that any further announcement would be made in the normal way.

A vote would also open up damaging divisions on the post-war situation which has grown increasingly fraught in recent months.

Earlier this week a poll indicated public opposition to the deployment of further troops.

According to reports, the US has been seeking further British troop deployments following the withdrawal of Spanish troops from the Najaf area earlier this year.

But Hoon insisted the request for reinforcements was made by military commanders and not the White House.

The defence secretary said the decision amounted to "sensible adjustments at the request of latest advice of the general officer commanding".

Conservative defence spokesman Nicholas Soames said the decision was "long overdue and heavily trailed".

He said the recall of the 1st Battalion Black Watch, who have only been back from active duty for one year, was an "astonishing admission of overstretch".

"The government must show it has reclaimed a grip on policy in Iraq and prove that it is the master of its objectives and not merely the victim of events," he concluded.

Hoon said that Black Watch had been chosen "because they have the appropriate training and equipment".

He added that the forces will "contribute to the training and development of Iraqi security forces", with ministers hopeful that this will speed up withdrawal once the country has been stabilised.