Defence Minister Quentin Davies said allegations that ministers are suppressing a report about the wasted billions in defence procurement are preposterous. The Ministry of Defence-commissioned review was originally scheduled to be published in July. But according to the prime minister, the publication will be delayed. Liam Fox, Shadow defence secretary said the review’s release was delayed because it indicated “12 years of incompetence”. On the other hand, Mr Davies denies that the review is being suppressed. It’s still in the process of completion. Some sources from Downing Street said they would take part in the MoD’s wider defence review.
Commissioned by former secretary of defence John Hutton and spearheaded by former defence aide Bernard Gray, the report is meant to take a look at the MoD’s defence procurement system. According to reports, Gray’s review discovered that the MoD’s failure to meet project payment deadlines caused losses up to £2.5 billion a year. The review was scheduled to be published before summer. Dr Fox wanted the report’s release as soon as possible. He blamed the government for wasting money which could have been used instead to support the front-line troops in Afghanistan. ”By trying to suppress this report, the prime minister has demonstrated that he cares more about the reputation of Labour than he does about the well-being of the armed forces. The government has a moral duty to ensure that our armed forces have the equipment they need for the war fighting they are asked to do; instead we have a catalogue of bureaucracy, incompetence and time wasting.” Mr Davies, on the other hand, said that he had a glimpse of the unfinished report two months ago and that he had no idea when it would be completed. He assured that it will not be suppressed.
