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Defence in the UK

As we heard from the speeches of the Minister and the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox), defence in the UK offers us myriad themes to discuss. I want to talk about the defence industry in the UK for two reasons: first, a reducing number of people in the UK have any experience of armed service, so the defence industry is many people’s closest link to defence in the UK; and, secondly, this gives me another opportunity to raise points about the naval base review and Portsmouth naval base. I want to consider defence procurement by focusing on how we get the best value for money and maximise the resources going to our front-line servicemen and women. After all, roughly two thirds of last year’s defence budget was spent on defence procurement and logistics. I represent a naval constituency in which much of the local economy depends on defence. Significant numbers of serving and ex-serving naval personnel live in my constituency and 10 per cent. of our residents depend on the defence industry. The naval base in my constituency is under threat as a result of the naval base review. I will not go into a great amount of detail because I have raised the matter in debates in both the Chamber and Westminster Hall, with support from the hon. Members for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) and for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock). However, I want to make a comment in the wider context of defence procurement. I have said before in the House that value for money in the public sector means economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Economy means not paying £5 for something that can be bought for £3. Efficiency means getting the most out of resources without waste or duplication, while effectiveness is about delivering on goals and strategic objectives. I wholeheartedly agree with that, but in the case of the naval base review, I want to ensure that we do not sacrifice our effectiveness—our strategic military objectives—for the sake of some superficial perceived efficiency. It might look very attractive on the face of it to close one of our three naval bases to avoid duplication, but I think that I have demonstrated on many occasions, as have my colleagues, that that is a short-sighted, short-term proposal. I hope that the Ministry of Defence and the Navy board, especially, will consider all the factors involved in the costs of running our naval bases and not just the headline figures. In particular, they should consider the synergies obtained by co-locating the defence industry close to the naval bases and the partnerships that have built up between the MOD and industry. When considering defence procurement, we are looking at very long life cycles. There can be up to 60 years between an initial concept and something going out of service, so we need long-term vision and planning for the future. We also need to ensure that there is maximum flexibility, which, in my view, means retaining the three naval bases that we have. That does not mean that we should leave things exactly as they are. We all know that there is huge scope for cost savings and efficiencies in our naval bases, but they should take place in the existing locations. While such an approach is financially and militarily right, I also think that it is right for the people who live in the cities and towns that house our naval bases. This country owes a debt to cities such as Portsmouth and Plymouth. I have lived in Portsmouth all my life, as have several generations of my family before me, and I am conscious of my city’s vulnerability as a military target. It suffered disproportionate damage during the second world war and the rebuilding took years. Perhaps that is why I do not take national security and defence lightly. I do not look at the issue through rose-coloured glasses, but take a realistic and pragmatic view. I am always conscious that many of my constituents have put their lives on the line—and continue to do so—for us and our country, as have all our servicemen and women. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of being accepted on to the armed forces parliamentary scheme with the Navy. As part of that scheme, I have so far spent three days at sea—and been seasick—on HMS Illustrious. I went up in a Merlin helicopter and sat at the controls of a Sea Harrier at RNAS Culdrose, and I spent two days looking at our submarine and nuclear deterrent capability at Faslane. All those visits were exciting and interesting, but the best part of all of them was the chance to sit and chat with sailors of all ranks and to hear from them what they wanted from the Government and the MOD. I heard loud and clear that we need a balanced defence force, with well-resourced conventional forces that are backed up by a nuclear deterrent. Like me, those men and women do not look at life through rose-coloured glasses. They see the reality of protecting our national security. Like everyone in the Chamber, I look forward to a world with no nuclear weapons—I am totally committed to achieving that. However, that is not going to happen overnight, or by the UK unilaterally divesting itself of its nuclear weapons. That was why I supported the decision to start the process of procuring a replacement for our Vanguard submarines, which carry the Trident nuclear weapons. I sat through the whole Trident debate. I had hoped to have the opportunity to make a contribution, but there were too many speakers. I am sure that all hon. Members will be relieved to hear that they will not be subjected to the speech that I would have made on Trident if I had been called. However, there are a few pertinent points that I would like to make, especially about the length of the procurement process and the consequences of delays in the process.