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Defence in the United Kingdom

The Secretary of State always makes these figures sound as if there is an increase. I seem to remember that he was responsible for the strategic defence review, in which certain expenditure and commitment levels were set out. I think that he would agree that the commitment levels have risen beyond those projected in the review and that the resource commitments have gone down from what they were predicted to be in the review. For the first time, we have a Minister who, perhaps unfortunately for him, is having to defend the cuts that he has made in the face of what he said was necessary some time ago.