Nia Griffith response to Michael Fallon comments

Nia Griffith MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, responding to Sir Michael Fallon’s call to raise NATO 2% defence spending target, said:

“The Defence Secretary has finally recognised that the Government needs to invest more in our nation’s security, but it is pretty galling for him to talk about going beyond the 2 per cent commitment when this Government is barely scraping over the line at present.

“Indeed they can only claim to be doing so by counting items, such as pensions, that do not contribute to our defence capabilities and which Labour did not include when in Government.

“Labour is fully committed to spending at least 2 per cent of GDP on defence as we consistently did when in government. If Sir Michael Fallon is serious about putting more money on the table, he should act immediately to give our Armed Forces the real terms pay rise that they have been so cruelly robbed of since 2010.”