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Troop Deployment (Afghanistan)

I am grateful for both the tone and content of the Secretary of State’s response. It is a pity, given the open nature of discussions on this issue between those on the two Front Benches, that he finds himself a victim of the briefing culture of his Government. Today is an opportunity, however, to give the Secretary of State notice of the sort of issues that we will want to discuss in the House when it comes to his statement. After Iraq, it is essential that the House asks detailed questions and that the Government answer in a detailed way and with great clarity. We know what many of the large issues will be. We will want to know about the security situation in the south of Afghanistan, what the current assessment of risk is, and what the intelligence is about further insurgent activity. We will want to know about the integration between the international security assistance force—ISAF—and Operation Enduring Freedom and command lines in those operations. We will want to know about Treasury funding for anti-narcotics and the potential conflict between the strategic objectives of anti-narcotics and anti-terrorism activity. We will also want to know exactly what powers of arrest and detention are available for prisoners and how they will be handled. There are many questions, which we will examine properly tomorrow, and Members on both sides of the House will want detailed answers about what will be a dangerous deployment of British troops. The defence of our national security and the construction of a free and democratic Afghanistan are noble ideals shared by those on both sides of the House. We cannot fail to act in Afghanistan, but neither can we act and fail. Therefore, we will support the Government’s objectives, our troops and our allies, but we will hold the Government responsible for the implementation of those objectives, as is our duty. We look forward to the details of what the Government have to say tomorrow.