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Defence Procurement

That is a very good point. Ministers will have heard it, and I hope that they will give the House an answer. The hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Willie Rennie) referred to the absence of the Scottish National party from the debate. That was noted by all sides. He also referred to the need for the aircraft carriers, which we endorse. My hon. Friend the Member for Salisbury said that if he were Prime Minister he would double the defence budget, and I look forward to serving under his premiership in those circumstances. I remind him that, in an opinion poll conducted in October last year and published in The Daily Telegraph, when asked whether we should spend more or less on defence, 46 per cent. of the public said that we should spend more and 22 per cent. said that we should spend less. The House can make up its own mind on that. My hon. Friend said that 90 per cent. of trade is seaborne and therefore that there is a need to protect our trade routes, and he is absolutely right.