Drayson resignation is bad news for industry and Armed Forces

Commenting on the news that Lord Drayson has stood down as Defence Procurement Minister and Minister of State for Business, and Regulatory Reform, Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, said:

“The only Minister with any credibility in the defence industry has now abandoned ship. This will cause concern throughout Britain's vital defence industry.

“At a crucial time for major procurement programmes such as Joint Strike Fighter and the Carrier project, with the resulting impact they will have on British defence jobs, there will now be no one with any defence industrial experience within the Ministry of Defence's Ministerial team.

“On top of having a part-time Defence Secretary this will simply add insult to injury to the British defence industry and our Armed Forces.â€

Shadow Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary, Alan Duncan said:

“This is a mysterious departure.  By not replacing him they are seriously downgrading DBERR.

“The fact that the man in charge of Brown's business council, and the Minister with the most business experience, is choosing to leave the Government, is further confirmation of the business community's disenchantment with Labour.â€