ianstone
10-02-2010, 06:05 PM
David Cameron: My radical plan for Britain's armed forces
David Cameron has unveiled his "radical" plan for the future of Britain's armed forces in a bold move to end the bitter row over defence.
By Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor
Published: 8:30PM BST 02 Oct 2010
23 Comments (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/8038973/David-Cameron-My-radical-plan-for-Britains-armed-forces.html#disqus_thread)
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01730/Cameron-ArrivesSUM_1730659c.jpg David Cameron arrives in Birmingham Photo: AP
Conservative Party Conference 2010 live (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/8032798/Conservative-Party-Conference-2010-live.html)
Taking full charge of the issue for the first time, the Prime Minister (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/) disclosed that more Chinook helicopters would be made available for British troops in Afghanistan.
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<LI class=blog sizcache="38" sizset="52">Cameron must stand firm against Miliband's unprincipled assault (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/janetdaley/8038786/David-Cameron-must-stand-firm-against-Ed-Milibands-unprincipled-assault.html)
<LI class=bullet sizcache="38" sizset="53">Liam Fox: defence cuts will have 'grave consequences' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/8031383/Liam-Fox-defence-cuts-will-have-grave-consequences.html)
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<LI class=bullet sizcache="38" sizset="55">Ed Miliband: my vision to rebuild trust (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/8025462/Ed-Miliband-my-vision-to-rebuild-trust.html)
Afghanistan: Gordon Brown accused of 'dereliction of duty' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/5812167/Afghanistan-Gordon-Brown-accused-of-dereliction-of-duty.html)
Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/8038954/David-Cameron-I-will-never-shift-from-the-centre-ground.html)on the eve of the Tory party conference (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/), he pledged that Britain’s Armed Forces would be given “everything that they need” to fight the Taliban.
Even after key spending decisions were made in the coming months, he said Britain would “go on having one of the largest defence budgets in the world”.
He lambasted Labour for leaving his government a “complete car crash” of a defence budget – overspent by £38 billion and with major decisions not taken.
Last week the simmering row over defence cuts — which Mr Cameron admitted involved “lively discussions” — boiled over with the leak to The Daily Telegraph of a letter written by Liam Fox (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/8032539/Liam-Fox-letter-police-search-MoD-after-leak.html), the Defence Secretary, to the Prime Minister. It warned of “grave consequences” of making “draconian” cuts at a time of war.
Mr Cameron and Dr Fox met at 10 Downing Street on Friday for what Mr Cameron said was a “very good chat” – after which he seized control of the agenda.
In his wide-ranging interview with this newspaper, Mr Cameron also:
* Hailed the “revolutionary” deal done between Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and George Osborne, the Chancellor, to sweep away most benefit payments and replace them with a “universal credit”. The scheme, aimed at saving around £10 billion, would be phased in over two complete parliaments, saving heavy upfront costs, but meaning some claimants would still be on the old system in 2020.
* Attacked Ed Miliband, the new Labour leader, for abandoning the centre ground, wanting to put up taxes and demanding a slower pace in cutting the deficit. This would be a “disaster” for Britain and left “a massive gaping hole of credibility in his entire approach”, the Prime Minister added, describing Mr Miliband as to the Left of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
* Claimed Britain’s economy was out of the “danger zone” and that the country was once again “open for business” with its low corporation tax rate. However, he said the 50p top rate of income tax for the highest earners would stay “for the time being”.
* Promised radical plans in education and health as well as defence and welfare – but pledged always to look after the poorest and most vulnerable in society. The Tories would never “vacate the centre ground” while he was in charge, the Prime Minister added.
On the rocky path to establishing a defence spending settlement, Mr Cameron admitted: “It’s inevitably a difficult process but I’m very confident that we will complete it and we will have a more strategic, thought-through, more clear defence posture that we can win widespread support for.
“At the same time we will give everything to our troops in Afghanistan that they need. Of course the Treasury and the MoD have to have discussions and they are lively discussions.
“Yes, there are difficult decisions but we will have some amazingly capable defence forces with some of the latest equipment in the world, including more Chinook helicopters.”
Mr Cameron put the blame for the defence spending crisis firmly on Labour and added: “No one said it was going to be easy, but it doesn’t get easier by putting off the decisions. A few months ago there was a very big discussion between the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions about benefit reforms, and yet here we are, a coalition Government which has now agreed one of the boldest and most radical reforms of welfare since [William] Beveridge. If we did that in welfare, believe me we can do that in defence.”
Lord Heseltine, a former Tory defence secretary, said in comments due to be broadcast on BBC One’s Politics Show today that Dr Fox’s letter “looked to me like a letter written to be leaked” – although he said Dr Fox need not have been responsible.
Mr Cameron also used the interview to disclose that musicians and bands such as Mumford & Sons, Eilen Jewell and Emiliana Torrini helped keep him “sane” – as well as TV programmes such as the BBC drama Spooks. He said he tried to get seven hours sleep a night – and rises before 6am to do paperwork.
David Cameron has unveiled his "radical" plan for the future of Britain's armed forces in a bold move to end the bitter row over defence.
By Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor
Published: 8:30PM BST 02 Oct 2010
23 Comments (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/8038973/David-Cameron-My-radical-plan-for-Britains-armed-forces.html#disqus_thread)
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01730/Cameron-ArrivesSUM_1730659c.jpg David Cameron arrives in Birmingham Photo: AP
Conservative Party Conference 2010 live (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/8032798/Conservative-Party-Conference-2010-live.html)
Taking full charge of the issue for the first time, the Prime Minister (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/) disclosed that more Chinook helicopters would be made available for British troops in Afghanistan.
Related Articles
<LI class=bullet sizcache="38" sizset="51">David Cameron: I will never shift from the centre ground (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/8038954/David-Cameron-I-will-never-shift-from-the-centre-ground.html)
<LI class=blog sizcache="38" sizset="52">Cameron must stand firm against Miliband's unprincipled assault (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/janetdaley/8038786/David-Cameron-must-stand-firm-against-Ed-Milibands-unprincipled-assault.html)
<LI class=bullet sizcache="38" sizset="53">Liam Fox: defence cuts will have 'grave consequences' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/8031383/Liam-Fox-defence-cuts-will-have-grave-consequences.html)
<LI class=bullet sizcache="38" sizset="54">Osborne hits back in Tory defence battle (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/8038088/Spending-review-George-Osborne-hits-back-in-Tory-defence-battle.html)
<LI class=bullet sizcache="38" sizset="55">Ed Miliband: my vision to rebuild trust (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/8025462/Ed-Miliband-my-vision-to-rebuild-trust.html)
Afghanistan: Gordon Brown accused of 'dereliction of duty' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/5812167/Afghanistan-Gordon-Brown-accused-of-dereliction-of-duty.html)
Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/8038954/David-Cameron-I-will-never-shift-from-the-centre-ground.html)on the eve of the Tory party conference (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/), he pledged that Britain’s Armed Forces would be given “everything that they need” to fight the Taliban.
Even after key spending decisions were made in the coming months, he said Britain would “go on having one of the largest defence budgets in the world”.
He lambasted Labour for leaving his government a “complete car crash” of a defence budget – overspent by £38 billion and with major decisions not taken.
Last week the simmering row over defence cuts — which Mr Cameron admitted involved “lively discussions” — boiled over with the leak to The Daily Telegraph of a letter written by Liam Fox (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/8032539/Liam-Fox-letter-police-search-MoD-after-leak.html), the Defence Secretary, to the Prime Minister. It warned of “grave consequences” of making “draconian” cuts at a time of war.
Mr Cameron and Dr Fox met at 10 Downing Street on Friday for what Mr Cameron said was a “very good chat” – after which he seized control of the agenda.
In his wide-ranging interview with this newspaper, Mr Cameron also:
* Hailed the “revolutionary” deal done between Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and George Osborne, the Chancellor, to sweep away most benefit payments and replace them with a “universal credit”. The scheme, aimed at saving around £10 billion, would be phased in over two complete parliaments, saving heavy upfront costs, but meaning some claimants would still be on the old system in 2020.
* Attacked Ed Miliband, the new Labour leader, for abandoning the centre ground, wanting to put up taxes and demanding a slower pace in cutting the deficit. This would be a “disaster” for Britain and left “a massive gaping hole of credibility in his entire approach”, the Prime Minister added, describing Mr Miliband as to the Left of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
* Claimed Britain’s economy was out of the “danger zone” and that the country was once again “open for business” with its low corporation tax rate. However, he said the 50p top rate of income tax for the highest earners would stay “for the time being”.
* Promised radical plans in education and health as well as defence and welfare – but pledged always to look after the poorest and most vulnerable in society. The Tories would never “vacate the centre ground” while he was in charge, the Prime Minister added.
On the rocky path to establishing a defence spending settlement, Mr Cameron admitted: “It’s inevitably a difficult process but I’m very confident that we will complete it and we will have a more strategic, thought-through, more clear defence posture that we can win widespread support for.
“At the same time we will give everything to our troops in Afghanistan that they need. Of course the Treasury and the MoD have to have discussions and they are lively discussions.
“Yes, there are difficult decisions but we will have some amazingly capable defence forces with some of the latest equipment in the world, including more Chinook helicopters.”
Mr Cameron put the blame for the defence spending crisis firmly on Labour and added: “No one said it was going to be easy, but it doesn’t get easier by putting off the decisions. A few months ago there was a very big discussion between the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions about benefit reforms, and yet here we are, a coalition Government which has now agreed one of the boldest and most radical reforms of welfare since [William] Beveridge. If we did that in welfare, believe me we can do that in defence.”
Lord Heseltine, a former Tory defence secretary, said in comments due to be broadcast on BBC One’s Politics Show today that Dr Fox’s letter “looked to me like a letter written to be leaked” – although he said Dr Fox need not have been responsible.
Mr Cameron also used the interview to disclose that musicians and bands such as Mumford & Sons, Eilen Jewell and Emiliana Torrini helped keep him “sane” – as well as TV programmes such as the BBC drama Spooks. He said he tried to get seven hours sleep a night – and rises before 6am to do paperwork.