MP says Army reforms have created capability gaps and false economies Today the MoD released the latest UK Armed Forces Quarterly Personnel Report, which confirms that recruitment into the Army Reserve is proceeding too slowly. In the period from 1st April 2013 to 1st January 2015 the Army Reserve has only gained 550 soldiers....
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MP intervenes in Parliamentary Afghan War debate In Parliament this afternoon, Keith Simpson MP led a Westminster Hall debate on the lessons from the Afghan War. In the debate, John said, “The key mistake we made in Afghanistan was, on having achieved our original mission of ridding the country of al-Qaeda, we then allowed...
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MP says an authoritative report is all-important Yesterday, John Baron MP questioned Sir John Chilcot over the much-delayed report of the Iraq Inquiry into the 2003 invasion and its aftermath. Sir John appeared before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee following recent announcements that the report would not be published in time for the General...
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MP presses Rt Hon Jack Straw MP over Iraq During today’s debate in the House of Commons regarding the delay in publishing the Chilcot report, John Baron MP raised the question as to why evidence cleared for publication has not been released since 2012, and also pressed Jack Straw [Foreign Secretary at the time...
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MP says recent international events highlight importance of deterrence Yesterday in the House of Commons, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party sponsored a debate opposing the renewal of the submarine-based Trident nuclear weapons system. John supports the like-for-like renewal of Trident, believing Britain’s nuclear weapons are the cornerstone of our...
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MP disappointed by cuts to BBC World Service and British Council Today in the House of Commons, during Foreign and Commonwealth Office questions, John Baron MP raised the issue of ‘soft power’. Quite separate from traditional ‘hard power’ – such as military action, economic sanctions or a UN Security Council veto – soft power...
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MP criticises MOD’s continued silence Today in Defence Questions in the House of Commons, John Baron MP pressed the Government on its plans to replace 20,000 regulars with 30,000 reservists – to be known as the Army reserve. John has been critical about the MOD’s unwillingness to detail the extra costs involved. John asked:...
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MP says Iraqi soldiers must take the fight to Islamic State Over the weekend, the Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP, announced that hundreds of British troops will be sent to Iraq in the New Year. They will join the roughly 50 British troops already stationed there, and will be...
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MP says China is shooting itself in the foot The Foreign Affairs Select Committee (FAC) is currently conducting an enquiry into the UK’s relations with Hong Kong 30 years after the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration – the agreement which led to the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. The FAC...
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MP says any future interventions must be informed by Afghan experience Today in the House of Commons, the Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP, made a statement on Afghanistan. This came following the withdrawal of British combat troops from the country, as well as after a terrorist attack on a...
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