Canterbury MP Julian Brazier has warned about the threat from further cuts to Britain’s Armed Forces.
During Defence Questions in the Commons yesterday Mr Brazier pointed out that Britain’s role was made more important by the planned reduced commitments of the United States.
Hansard 17 Jun 2013: Column 605
Mr Julian Brazier (Canterbury) (Con): Does my hon. Friend agree that America’s understandable decision to shift its focus towards the Pacific puts all the more responsibility on countries such as Britain, which after all are much closer to the potential threats than America is, to keep up our armed forces despite the economic situation?
Dr Murrison: Clearly we cannot ignore the economic situation, because it poses a clear and present danger to this country and others. I think that it means that we will have to renew our efforts with our friends and allies to ensure that they, too, spend significant sums of money on defence, but I should emphasise that the US is quite clear about its continuing commitment to Europe and the MENA region, and I think that we should take some comfort from that.
Mr Brazier said today:
“It is a dangerous world and the armed forces have already taken more than their share of cuts.
“We must lead the way in keeping our region safe,” Mr Brazier concluded.