MP says talking loudly but carrying a small stick is quickly found wanting Today in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister gave a Statement on the recent EU Council, the situation in Ukraine, new anti-terrorist proposals and developments in the Middle East. John asked, “Talking loudly but carrying a small stick is usually...
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MP says recruitment failures are disastrous John Baron MP has opposed Government plans to replace 20,000 Regulars with 30,000 Reservists, fearing such plans will create unacceptable capability gaps and false economies. The MoD is having severe trouble recruiting Reservists and is throwing more money at the problem. This has so far included doubling the...
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MP says Iraqi Army is ‘elephant in the room’ John Baron MP has cautioned against mission creep by the West in Iraq. He has called for more urgent action to get the Iraqi Army ‘fit for purpose’, and support from Gulf allies if necessary. John said, “Talk of further military involvement by the West...
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MP says little need to recall Parliament Responding to recent events in northern Iraq, John Baron MP said, “The situation in northern Iraq is desperate and harrowing. The Government is right to focus on humanitarian support to alleviate the suffering amongst displaced and harried communities. Given our recent, if misguided, involvement in Iraq, we...
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MP says international community must stand up to the bully in the playground This afternoon the Prime Minister gave a statement in the House of Commons following the downing of the civilian airliner over Ukraine last Thursday. He set out the Government’s position of seeking tougher sanctions against Russia, in conjunction with international partners....
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MP says Iraq situation can be traced to invasion John Baron MP has responded to Tony Blair’s comments over the weekend that the present situation in Iraq has in large part been caused by the West’s refusal to intervene in Syria. John said, “Old habits die hard. We went to war in Iraq on...
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MP also points to Libya and Afghanistan Following the news from northern Iraq, John Baron MP warns of the dangers of intervention. John resigned from the shadow Front Bench to vote against the Iraq war in 2003, and was the only Conservative to vote against both Afghanistan and Libya. John said, “One of the...
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MP urges transparency and warns again of false economies Today in the House of Commons during Defence Questions, John Baron MP asked the Government to produce revised costings for their plans to replace 20,000 regulars with 30,000 reservists. Following the initial launch of these plans, there have been a series of cost increases including...
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MP says Crimea holds lessons which need to be heeded During the debate in the House of Commons today on the Ukraine, John Baron MP has described events in Crimea as a wake-up call, and again argued that Britain needs to spend more on its Armed Forces. This follows a fuller explanation in Hansard...
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MP says 2% of GDP on defence is insufficient In a piece published earlier in the week, John Baron MP has warned of the consequences of not properly funding our Armed Forces. In Britain, defence is being cut to the bone: the Defence Select Committee’s latest report suggests we may be approaching the point...
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