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MP attacks RAF base closure plan MP attacks RAF base closure plan
(about 4 hours later)
Plans to close RAF Cottesmore in Rutland to pay for new helicopters for use in Afghanistan have been attacked by the local MP.Plans to close RAF Cottesmore in Rutland to pay for new helicopters for use in Afghanistan have been attacked by the local MP.
Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton Alan Duncan said he would oppose the government plan to close the base so 22 new Chinooks can be purchased. Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton Alan Duncan said he would oppose the government plan to close the base to help raise cash for 22 new Chinooks.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth is due to announce the closure and the loss of thousands of defence jobs. Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced the closure to the House of Commons along with other cutbacks.
The helicopters are expected to be ready in 2013. The base has about 3,500 staff and is the county's largest employer.
The Harrier jets based at RAF Cottesmore will move to RAF Wittering, in Cambridgeshire, before being phased out of service altogether, earlier than the previously planned withdrawal date of 2018.
The people of Rutland have an economic as well as emotional attachment to the base, and I will fight to keep it open Alan Duncan, MP for Rutland and MeltonThe people of Rutland have an economic as well as emotional attachment to the base, and I will fight to keep it open Alan Duncan, MP for Rutland and Melton
The Harriers based at RAF Cottesmore will move to RAF Wittering, in Cambridgeshire, before being phased out of service altogether, earlier than planned. Mr Duncan said: "The base still has strategic value and I oppose any plans for its closure in the strongest possible terms.
Mr Duncan said: "RAF Cottesmore is the home of the Harrier force that won the Falklands War.
"The base still has strategic value and I oppose any plans for its closure in the strongest possible terms.
"It is as a result of a catastrophic failure of planning on the government's part."It is as a result of a catastrophic failure of planning on the government's part.
"RAF Cottesmore is being sacrificed to fund the war in Afghanistan because the Treasury are simply not funding current operations, contrary to what the prime minister said yesterday."RAF Cottesmore is being sacrificed to fund the war in Afghanistan because the Treasury are simply not funding current operations, contrary to what the prime minister said yesterday.
"The government needs to get a grip on the situation so that the Royal Air Force, and the nation's long term security, is not harmed by short sighted base closures. "The government needs to get a grip on the situation so that the Royal Air Force, and the nation's long-term security, is not harmed by short-sighted base closures.
Budget overspent Community 'shocked'
"The people of Rutland have an economic as well as emotional attachment to the base, and I will fight to keep it open.""The people of Rutland have an economic as well as emotional attachment to the base, and I will fight to keep it open."
The leader of Rutland County Council, Roger Beggy, said: "It involves a significant part of our community. It provides employment, it provides spending in our local towns.
"And the RAF has a tremendous heritage in Rutland over the years - this will come as a major blow."
Caroline Hodges is chairman of the Oakham board of trade.
"I think it is a bit of a shock," she said. "It has been mentioned on several occasions that Cottesmore might go but we were assured that it wouldn't.
"Then we hear today that this is the one place the axe is going to fall, is rather a shame especially for the surrounding area."
Budget overspent
The defence secretary's announcement comes after months of criticism over the number of helicopters in operation in Helmand, Afghanistan.The defence secretary's announcement comes after months of criticism over the number of helicopters in operation in Helmand, Afghanistan.
In total, the Chinook fleet will increase in size from 48 to 70.In total, the Chinook fleet will increase in size from 48 to 70.
But the money will have to come out of the Ministry of Defence's existing budget, which is already overspent.But the money will have to come out of the Ministry of Defence's existing budget, which is already overspent.
Mr Ainsworth said: "Helicopter capability has already doubled in the last three years and this future strategy builds on this, ensuring that our armed forces have the very best resources at their disposal."Mr Ainsworth said: "Helicopter capability has already doubled in the last three years and this future strategy builds on this, ensuring that our armed forces have the very best resources at their disposal."