Plaid Cymru’s defence spokesperson Elfyn Llwyd MP has warned the UK government that pressing ahead with cuts to the defence budget is ‘illogical’ when ring-fencing the huge expense of Trident and refusing to address the need for a timetabled exit strategy from Afghanistan.
Mr Llwyd repeated calls for a separate review into spending on veterans’ welfare and support for troops returning from warzones.
The Defence Secretary Liam Fox today warned the Government would have to act ‘ruthlessly and without sentiment’ to find cuts in the defence budget.
Mr Llwyd said:
“Mr Fox concludes that it would be impossible to insure against every imaginable risk – why then is this Government pressing ahead with the hugely expensive Trident nuclear weapons renewal project at the expense of conventional resources?
“At a time when existing forces are being overstretched and under resourced – these priorities are completely illogical.
“A strategic defence review is long overdue – but where is the review into spend on veterans and support for returning troops?
“We should be spending as much effort on debriefing personnel and helping them to readjust to ‘civvy street’.
“Ultimately, we should not be in Afghanistan – and the UK government should consider a timetabled, safe exit strategy for our troops from there. As Mr Fox himself put it – this should be a time for a ‘clean break from the military and political mindset of cold war politics’.”
