War of words

WHEN Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's power struggle was at its most venomous, Peter Mandelson went to extraordinary lengths to deny the existence of any rift – before revealing all in his lucrative memoirs.

The same equally applies to the previous Government's contemptible betrayal of the Armed Forces. On countless occasions, Ministers denied that troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan were under-equipped.

Yet, in some of the most damning evidence presented, thus far, to the Chilcot Inquiry, it now emerges that General Sir Mike Jackson warned five years ago, when he was Chief of the General Staff, that the UK's helicopter fleet was "creaking badly" and "inadequate".

It, once again, makes a mockery of Labour's denials at the time and it can only be hoped that the inquiry recalls the relevant Ministers, including Messrs Blair and Brown, to seek an adequate explanation. But, more pertinently, it places a new onus on David Cameron's government to ensure that there is adequate air cover for those additional troops being deployed to Helmand province in Afghanistan.

The loyalty and professionalism of the Armed Forces demands nothing less – their safety is too important for cynical PR games on the part of their political elite.