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Defence in the UK

I have given way to the hon. Gentleman a couple of times, and I think that it would be better if he made a speech himself, if he can catch your eye, Madam Deputy Speaker. The fact is that nearly a third of service personnel and their families are unhappy with the standard of accommodation. We have mentioned already that there are interesting developments in Europe. The US, for example, has made it clear that it wants to deal less with the UK as a bridge to the European Union and more with the European Union as a whole. Although we must continue to have a strong bilateral partnership with the United States, it is in its interest as well as ours to have a stronger European partner this side of the Atlantic. I hope that the Minister and his colleagues are exploring avenues for greater defence co-operation, particularly now that the French have changed their stance in such a significant way. I hope that in the fullness of time, such co-operation will come to enjoy the support of all parties. UK defence, in my view, is in drastic need of an overhaul. We need a new strategic defence review and a good hard look at the configuration of our defence and the infrastructure behind it. The economic crisis only adds to the imperative to deliver cost-effective and vital projects efficiently and to tight deadlines. As John F. Kennedy once said:""When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters—one represents danger and one represents opportunity."" Let us not get entrenched in the economic crisis to the detriment of our defence capabilities, but seize this opportunity to come out the other side with a more effective, efficient and decisive armed force.