Non-Subscriber Extract
UK shadow defence secretary outlines Conservative vision
By Matthew Bell
22 June 2009
A "comprehensive review" of UK defence planning under a new Conservative government could open the way to a major shake-up of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and its current activities, according to the UK's shadow Defence Secretary.
Speaking exclusively to Jane's on 16 June, Dr Liam Fox, spoke of his party's plans for defence procurement, the UK's defence industry, staffing within the MoD and the welfare of its troops.
As the UK looks ahead to a general election within the next 11 months, the Conservative party - which forms the official opposition to the current Labour government - says it is essential that all UK parties fully acknowledge the realities of the current economic situation and set out their future funding plans accordingly.
In the face of a global economic crisis, defence budgets worldwide are being squeezed, meaning that defence planners are having to make difficult decisions on whether to cut procurement programmes, or indeed ditch them altogether.
The party's shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, said on 15 June that a new government - whichever party wins the general election - will need to cut spending across departments: "We should have the confidence to tell the public the truth that Britain faces a debt crisis; that existing plans show that real spending will have to be cut, whoever is elected; and that the bills of rising unemployment and the huge interest costs of a soaring national debt mean that many government departments will face budget cuts."