John Baron MP questions Defence Secretary on Mali Deployment

MP granted an Urgent Question

Today in the House of Commons, the Speaker granted John Baron MP an Urgent Question on the subject of British troop deployments to Mali. The Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, answered to the Government.

A fortnight ago it was announced the RAF was sending two C-17 transport aircraft to assist French forces in Mali. At the weekend, the Government also sent a Sentinel reconnaissance aircraft to the region. This morning, the Government announced 200 British troops would be sent to Mali.

In the House of Commons, John said,

“British involvement in Mali is deepening. We need greater clarity as to the roles British soldiers will play, how our advisors will be protected and what contingency plans exist – should things go wrong.”

“We also need to think carefully about the international community’s broader strategy in the region.”

The Secretary of State replied that British troops would not be deployed in a combat role, that they would be largely restricted to training, and that the risk to them would be minimised as much as possible.

Afterwards, John said,

“Whilst it is in everyone’s interests to assist legitimate governments against extremists, we must be very careful not to over-commit ourselves and become sucked into a wider conflict. In particular, there are valuable lessons to learn from our involvement in Afghanistan.”