A major rift between the MoD and Downing Street has blown open today as defence figures are unable to go on record at a major RUSI conference. The latest development in a tense cold war between the two departments…
Guido hears from multiple high level defence sources that the gagging order was delivered directly from Downing Street under the direction of strategic communications boss James Lyons. Insiders say that the MoD’s communications chief Simon Enright has “completely lost the fight with Lyons” – now the MOD has had its marching orders from Downing Street. The MOD permanent secretary David Williams has stayed quiet internally, sources say – offering no communication on the new and unprecedented gagging order. The position is unsustainable as senior chain of command figures have always had freedom to voice their views in public, unrestricted by politicians, it’s a good thing for defence…
There was a bitter briefing exchange after Starmer declined to set out a path to 3% spending on defence – this is an element of the fallout. Will end in fireworks…
Shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns told Times Radio she would have put a precondition on a China trip if she were PM:
“I would have put a precondition that I was not going to go if I was prime minister, unless Jimmy Lai was coming home with me. I would also put a precondition in the six months leading up to the visit that I wanted a reduction in hostile acts against our country. But that’s not what we saw. And actually, in contrast, what we saw was clearly the Chinese Communist Party did put a precondition, which was that the new embassy in London had to be signed off. So why is it okay for China to set preconditions and to make very clear red lines about what they require for a visit, but we go without having put any ourselves?”