The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Hunt pledge over north bases
● RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks ‘safe in my hands’, says candidate
WESTMINSTER REPORTER
Jeremy Hunt has pledged to protect RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks for “generations to come” if he wins the race to Downing Street.
The foreign secretary, speaking exclusively to The Press and Journal, said bases in the northeast would go from “strength to strength” on his watch.
The commitment comes as part of a wider pledge to spend an additional £15 billion on defence by 2024.
Mr Hunt says the extra cash will ensure Britain’s place as “a first-rank military power” that is able to combat “new threats to western values”.
He said: “I was the person who secured a historic funding boost for the NHS and as prime minister, I’ll do the same for defence.
“That extra funding would secure the future of RAF Lossiemouth for generations to come.
“On my watch, RAF Lossiemouth will never close. Instead, it will go from strength to strength.
“I will also make the necessary investments to ensure a bright future for Kinloss Barracks.”
The potential funding boost for the bases comes as work continues on a £400 million revamp of RAF Lossiemouth ahead of the arrival of the P-8 Poseidon submarine spy planes next year.
Heldon and Laich councillor James Allan welcomed the pledge, but reflected on how the current boom could have easily been replaced with a crushing blow had a massive public campaign not kept the runway lights on at the base in 2011.
Mr Allan said: “It’s always great to hear of extra funding, especially when only a few years ago they were considering closing Lossie and Kinloss, it’s truly a great turnaround.”
Mike Mulholland, chairman of Lossiemouth Community Council, said: “We might sound a bit greedy now as we have a quite a lot of funding coming in, but it’s great to hear of spending pledges like this.
“It would give the whole of Moray another major boost, we’d be
“Itwillgo fromstrength tostrength”
very happy investment.”
But Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said such spending commitments made in the middle of a leadership race should be “taken with a large pinch of salt”.
The former minister said: “Mr Hunt could perhaps also focus on to see the reversing the negative impact his government’s policies are having on poverty in Moray and a range of other pressing issues such as Brexit, especially the prospect of a no-deal Brexit that local voters rejected but which is damaging local business.”
Mr Hunt also committed to continuing the policy of compensating soldiers who face paying more tax because they live in Scotland.
A divergence in rates means that income tax higher earners in Scotland pay more than they do in the rest of the UK.
Mr Hunt said: “I continue to believe that it’s wrong for the SNP’s tax hikes to hit the brave and loyal armed forces personnel based in Scotland.”
Moray MP Douglas Ross, who is backing Boris Johnson in the leadership race, said he welcomed the tax pledge.