"There is going to be an announcement later today" in parliament by Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, a Ministry of Defence spokesman told AFP.

It will concern "an adjustment" to British troop numbers in southern Iraq, which has been occupied by British forces since the March 2003 invasion, the spokesman added.

Hoon has repeatedly said, most recently on Tuesday, that no decision had been taken on reinforcing the 7,900 British troops currently in oil-rich southern Iraq, including the city of Basra.

"We keep the requirement for troop levels under constant review, we are in constant contact with our officer commanding on the ground in southern Iraq, and obviously in the light of his request, his judgement of the security situation, we will make appropriate decisions," Hoon said.

Several press reports in recent weeks have said that Britain was preparing to send as many as 3,000 more troops to Iraq to help ensure stability ahead of the planned June 30 handover of sovereignty.

Some of the reports said they would help fill the gap left by Spanish forces that left Iraq this month following the election of a new Socialist government in Madrid.

An opinion poll in the Guardian newspaper, published Tuesday, indicated that two in three Britons are opposed to Prime Minister Tony Blair sending more troops to the country.

WAR.WIRE