Moore meets Fox over Scottish defence
The Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore held talks with Defence Secretary Liam Fox at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall earlier today.
The Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore held talks with Defence Secretary Liam Fox at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall earlier today. The Minister said:
“I have been making the Scottish case for some time. I have already made formal representations to the Defence Secretary and this morning was a useful opportunity to follow that up with face to face talks. It was a constructive meeting and Liam Fox understands the valuable contribution Scotland makes to defence.
“I want to make sure that Liam and other Cabinet colleagues are aware of the military and economic arguments for the deep defence footprint in Scotland. Fundamentally, our case starts with the immense contribution that Scotland makes to defence but we also need to make sure the economic argument is understood.
“We need to keep making Scotland’s case over the weeks ahead. I will be making the argument and I welcome the contribution that others in Scotland are making.”
The Secretary of State will be having further discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence over the next two weeks, having helped secure key defence meetings.
One is the quadrilateral between the Defence Secretary and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which is likely to take place during the last week of September and which the Secretary of State will attend. The second meeting between the Defence Secretary and the leaders of the main Holyrood parties will take place shortly afterward.