Government Playing Games with Soldiers Safety

Paul Holmes has today criticised the Government for refusing to answer his parliamentary question on when the newly announced 140 mastiff vehicles will be delivered for frontline use by UK troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The Government's announcement that they would finally be providing more, better armoured, patrol vehicles to protect our troops on the frontline troops came as a welcome relief to both our soldiers and their families.

"However the reality is that the Government have no set date when these vehicles will be in use, meaning that many of our soldiers will be left with the small protection provided by their Land Rover's that have proved so inadequate on numerous occasions. A constituent of mine 18 year old Ben Ford who had been in the same year group at the same school as my son, recently died when a blast hit his patrol land rover.

"The Government must stop playing games with our soldiers safety, protection of those who have been put in harm ways must be a real priority and not another battlefield for New Labour's spin machine. "