David Cameron steps in to save defence budget
The Ministry of Defence is today said to be more than happy with the revised budget analysis which will see the early indication of a 10% cut, significantly reigned in. While we have yet to see the exact figures for the overall public-sector spending review there is no doubt that a concerted effort by the Defence Minister Liam Fox and last-minute intervention by David Cameron has saved the day.
There was a real risk that the UK government would cut the defence budget and effectively turn the UK public against the coalition authorities. The feeling of an unjust budget cut has been in the air for some time with regards to the Armed Forces at a time when they are fighting on many fronts including Iraq, Afghanistan as well as having outposts dotted around the world. While this will certainly be seen as a victory for the Ministry of Defence there is no doubt it will also limit the points of attack from the opposition parties when the final figures are announced.
While we have seen some adjusting of the defence budget and estimated cuts over the last few weeks we must appreciate that there will be literally billions upon billions of pounds wiped off the government budget.
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