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Defence Industry (Lancashire)

May I begin by saying that if I do not agree with the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth) very much during my remarks—and I may well agree with him very little—I thoroughly agree with his comments about you, Mr. Key? Your long and distinguished record in the House means that all hon. Members have a universal respect for your knowledge about, contribution to and judgment on defence matters, which has been displayed over the years both on the Front and Back Benches, and it could not be more appropriate that you are presiding over this debate. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South Ribble (Mr. Borrow) on securing the debate and on something even more important than that: he has done a good job not only as a powerful advocate for his constituents and Lancashire, but for the country as a whole. He has put his finger on something of enormous importance, which I do not think has yet been properly appreciated in this country: Tory plans to cancel the carrier programme would be a disaster not only for the shipbuilding industry—on the Clyde and the Tyne, in Portsmouth and elsewhere—and for the national defence capability, but for the aerospace industry, because if we do not have carriers, we will not be purchasing aircraft to fly off them.