Advertisement
Gordon Brown: "I've planned this visit for some time"
Gordon Brown has visited British troops in Afghanistan amid a row over how well forces were equipped in the Iraq war.
The PM told the Chilcot Inquiry no request for equipment was refused but ex-Army chiefs challenged that claim.
The Tories said his trip to Helmand province was a "cynical" bid to deflect attention from the row, but Mr Brown said it had been planned for some time.
The PM promised 200 new patrol vehicles for British troops to give them better protection against roadside bombs.
They will replace the controversial Snatch Land Rovers which have been criticised for leaving UK troops vulnerable to attacks.
Lord Guthrie
Iraq inquiry: Day-by-day timeline
Iraq war was 'right', says Brown
Long-haul battle for Afghanistan
During his flying visit he told troops: "We will do everything we can to support you with the equipment necessary and the resources you need."
On Friday Mr Brown also told the Iraq inquiry that, when he was chancellor during the 2003 war, no military requests were refused.
He said: "At any point, commanders were able to ask for equipment that they needed and I know of no occasion when they were turned down."
But Lord Guthrie, ex-chief of the defence staff, told the Daily Telegraph armed forces had been denied a request for more helicopters.
He said: "He cannot get away with saying 'I gave them everything they asked for'. That is simply disingenuous."
Gordon Brown told troops he would do everything he could to support them
And his successor, Lord Boyce, told the Times: "There may have been a 1.5% increase in the defence budget but the MoD was starved of funds."
Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said the defence secretary had already announced on 15 December that the new armoured vehicles would be introduced.
He told the BBC: "We get the news re-announced the day after the prime minister gives evidence at Chilcot, when former defence chiefs say he wasn't telling the truth about armed forces funding.
"This is not the way to treat our armed forces and I think there will be a lot of people in the armed forces very unhappy at being used as political props today."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Full story: Brown grilled
Q&A: Snatch Land Rovers
Other opposition parties joined in the criticism with Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey saying while it may be "literally" true every formal request for equipment was met, the requests were always made under a financial constraint.
The Scottish National Party's Westminster leader Angus Robertson said the PM "must appear again" before the Chilcot inquiry following the military chiefs' criticisms.
£100m investment
In a swift tour which took in bases captured only weeks ago from the Taliban, Mr Brown met and thanked some of the 4,000 British forces who took part in the opening phase of Operation Moshtarak.
The PM said: "I am here because I want to thank the British troops for their bravery, their dedication and their professionalism."
Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox accuses PM of using armed forces as "political props"
He added it was "important to come at this stage to see what progress has been made on this first operation under a new phase of action in Afghanistan".
His aides said that Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth will announce within weeks the £100m investment in the new British-built vehicles, which should arrive in Afghanistan by late 2011.
The new patrol vehicles are smaller and lighter than the Mastiff and Ridgeback armoured personnel carriers which are already taking over some of the tasks of the more vulnerable Snatch.
They also said an additional £18m will also be spent on equipment and training for Afghan forces to deal with the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by the Taliban.
And 150 new instructors from the UK police and Army will also be deployed to train Afghan police.
Breitling Bentley have been the de facto standard for aviators across the entire planet for over 100 years now, and with good reason. Not only do they look the business but Navitimer Watches have a whole range of features built in that just make a pilots life easier. The Navitimer World emergency watch, as well as being a very attractive Montbrillant Datora , uniquely has a built-in transmitter that operates on the international aviation distress frequency of 121.5 Mhz.
ReplyDeleteThe moment you put on Christian Louboutin Sale they go on to become a wardrobe enhancer and put you several notches above on the ladder of success. The wearing of the Christian Louboutin Pumps enables one to anchor and team Christian Louboutin Sandals with the very best of people and things available. Christian Louboutin Boots can be found in different color tones and can be matched just so very right with the entire outfit and the look that you want to portray.
The quality of Coach Wallets is uncompared and your purse will last a life time and look good all through the years. Coach Hamptons are fashionable and can match just about any outfit. The Coach Legacy leather is exquisite, the Coach Luggage locks with a logo letter C and the style is just what every woman wants to have.