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Armed Forces Bill

My Lords, I fully support Amendment No. 14 tabled by the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Craig of Radley, who, as my noble friend Lord Campbell of Alloway said, made a good case. The amendment would provide a far more satisfactory definition of desertion than Clause 8. As the noble and gallant Lord has said, it would continue to use the current statutory definition, familiar to members of all three services. The language used in the amendment of the noble and gallant Lord has the advantage of both clarity and continuity. On Amendment No. 18, I echo wholeheartedly what my noble friend Lord Campbell of Alloway said.