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Britain

Brown 'shows contempt for forces'

2007-11-23

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has treated the armed services with "contempt" and "disinterest", a former chief of the defence staff has told a Lords debate.

Admiral Lord Boyce said the decision to give one person - Des Browne - the jobs of both defence and Scottish secretary was an "insult" at a time of war. Another former defence chief, General Lord Guthrie, said Mr Brown had been "unsympathetic" to the military.

The government said it was "absolutely committed" to the armed forces.

As much as any Labour/Socialist party can be.

Five former defence chiefs spoke during the Lords debate, during which there were calls to improve levels of military funding. Lord Boyce said of the decision to give Mr Browne a combined role: "It is seen as an insult by our sailors, our soldiers and our airmen on the front line. And I know because I have reason to speak to them a lot. And it is certainly a demonstration of the disinterest and some might say contempt that the prime minister and his government has for our armed forces. And it shows an appalling lack of judgement at a time when our people are being killed and they are being maimed."

Lord Guthrie said: "In my experience... he [Gordon Brown] was a most unsympathetic chancellor of the exchequer as far as defence was concerned - and the only senior Cabinet minister who avoided coming to the Ministry of Defence to be briefed by our staff on our problems." He added: "And I think really that he must take much of the blame for the very serious situation we find the services in today."