I know Dan well. He was the best Army applicant for the University of Cambridge MPhil in International Relations in 2009 when I helped him to gain a place at Jesus College. He gave this up to be a politician and has brought a much needed infantry officer’s perspective to the House of Commons. His previous army service commanding soldiers in the parachute regiment and working on operational deployments are clear signs that he has the capacity to cope with the demanding workload as Secretary of State for Defence. However…
Dan is wrong to accept this role because if he does, the military services will be forced to make do with insufficient funds to be credible in the volatile world that we live in today. With two prominent politicians making a stand, now is the time to overturn the Treasury’s disastrous policy of denuding Defence as it has done for the past 16 years.
All soldiers are imbued with the spirit of managing with fewer resources than ideal. In many ways, this has been the characterisation of all my years service. The only Prime Ministers who actually gave us more were Maggie Thatcher and Tony Blair in their first terms. So if Kier Starmer wishes to survive, he should follow their example and side with the Armed Forces over the Treasury. And Dan Jarvis should only accept the appointment if the Defence Industrial Strategy is fully funded.
Churchill Didn’t Let Down The Armed Forces
Rupert Wieloch 