Douglas Carswell, Conservative MP for Harwich and Clacton, was thrown off the armed forces parliamentary scheme for speaking up for our soldiers in Afghanistan, who he says are poorly equipped:

Having learnt from our troops on the ground some of the serious problems with helicopter shortages, and then raised the issue responsibly, I found myself slung off the scheme…

The defence budget is being spent in the interests of some contractors, not our armed forces.

Damning indictments. Especially since the MoD could have replaced the Lynx with US Black Hawk helicopters, but had already committed to a new Lynx generation apparently costing twice as much.

Of course, how truthful this may be I do not know. But it does appear that, in the very least, our defence budget is not being spent properly. Whether this is the fault of the MoD or the defence contractors, however… But it must be fixed.

Image: Douglas Carswell