Armed Forces (Redundancies) Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces (Redundancies)

Christopher Pincher Excerpts
Tuesday 15th February 2011

(13 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Liam Fox Portrait Dr Fox
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I think that in the months ahead we will see a number of ingenious smokescreens created by the Opposition to make the House discuss anything other than the appalling economic mess that they left behind—not least as it impacts on our armed forces.

Christopher Pincher Portrait Christopher Pincher (Tamworth) (Con)
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Does my right hon. Friend agree that the significant, and indeed forced, expenditure on urgent operational requirements by the last Government—money that had to be taken from the reserve, which even the Labour-dominated Defence Committee commented upon last year—has contributed at least in part to the challenges that he now faces?

Liam Fox Portrait Dr Fox
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I did not expect to have to defend the record of the previous Government at any point, but when our armed forces require equipment it is the duty of the Government of the day to ensure that they get it. The UOR mechanism has been a very effective way of achieving that, and the current Government intend to carry on that practice.