Gordon Brown fails to offer clear guidance on RAF bases

Published on Monday 14 December 2009 21:35

GORDON Brown has refused to give reassurances about the fate of two RAF bases in Scotland as speculation mounted that they might be scrapped.

The Prime Minister yesterday side-stepped questions from Angus Robertson, the SNP's Westminster leader, about rumours that the Kinloss and Lossiemouth bases in Moray might be closed.

Mr Brown said that scrapping Trident would cost jobs in Scotland, but he refused to mention the RAF bases. Instead, he said: "When he looks at the record of enhanced expenditure and investment in the armed forces, both in Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, he would know the government is doing its job."

Mr Robertson said the Prime Minister had added to the "intolerable" uncertainty to service personnel in his constituency. "At a time when our forces are already overstretched and under-resourced, it would be a betrayal by this Labour government to threaten vital bases and defence programmes while squandering billions on Trident nuclear weapons renewal. Gordon Brown's government is already responsible for a 4.3 billion defence underspend in Scotland, and 9,500 defence jobs have been lost in Scotland since Labour came to power – that is an appalling record. For Gordon Brown to talk of enhanced spending in Scotland is patently nonsense."

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth is due to make a statement in the House of Commons tomorrow about the Nimrod fleet of aircraft. There has been speculation that the defence budget over-stretch might force the fleet to be withdrawn early.

This would have an impact on Kinloss, which is home to the Nimrods.

The closure of this and the Lossiemouth base threatens 4,500 jobs.

A recent study showed that the bases contributed 70 million to the local economy and 156m to the overall economy.