The front pages of the Daily Telegraph, The Express, The Independent, The Times and the Daily Mail all make reference to the coroner ‘s verdict from yesterday’s Brecon Beacon’s inquest. Broadcast headlines continue to be dominated by the financial crisis unfolding in Greece as the International Monetary Fund attacks the recent bailout deal offered by eurozone leaders with the creditor saying the country’s public debt has become “highly unsustainable”.
Brecon Beacons inquest
The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian and The Independent all report that yesterday a coroner investigating the deaths of three SAS “hopefuls” who succumbed to heat exhaustion during a march on the Brecon Beacons has outlined a catalogue of “very serious mistakes”. The papers say that the three men died because of a “failure to properly organise and manage” the selection test on one of the hottest days of the year. Many of the papers, including The Express, Daily Mail and The Mirror include images of Bryher Dunsby, the widow of Corporal James Dunsby, as she calls for the MOD to learn from the tragedy, saying it had “displayed no responsibility, no accountability and no humility”. The Independent calls for the military to be stripped of its legal protection from criminal prosecution for non-combat deaths in order to ensure it improves its safety record. Brigadier John Donnelly’s statement is carried in parts throughout coverage.
Speaking outside the Coroner’s Court, Brigadier John Donnelly, Director Personal Services (Army), said:
I would like to apologise for the deaths of James Dunsby, Craig Roberts and Edward Maher: three fine soldiers. I would also like to offer my sincere condolences to their families and friends who have shown great dignity during what has been a very difficult period.
We are truly sorry for all the mistakes that the Coroner identified today. We have already made a number of changes to the exercise in terms of the way it is run as a result of our own investigations and those of the Health and Safety Executive, but we will study the Coroner's conclusion very carefully and make sure everything possible is done to prevent a reoccurrence of an incident such as this. We will also hold our own Service Inquiry as soon as all the civil investigations have finished.
It is necessary to train our soldiers to the highest standards to meet the security challenges that we face both in this country and overseas. To do this requires our individuals to push themselves and take some risk. However, we must ensure that those risks are carefully managed. In this case, we did not do this and accept responsibility.
Iran Deal
Many outlets this morning, including The Times, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, The Mirror, The Independent, The Express, the Daily Mail and The Guardian, feature stories on the historic nuclear deal between Iran and six “world powers” with papers suggesting that it risks triggering an arms race in the Middle East. It is reported that there is some concern from Israel and Saudi Arabia that the deal effectively gives Iran a green light to continue funding terrorism and there are fears of a resurgence of funds to its proxies, notably Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria and Shia militias in Iraq and Yemen
British Fighters Joining ISIL
60 British fighters have been killed after joining ISIL campaigns in Iraq and Syria writes the Daily Telegraph. The paper reports that the figure suggests a sharp increase in the rate of British fighters killed in the service of ISIL and that the disclosure comes as ministers are understood to be planning a “bombing campaign” against targets in Syria with the Prime Minister expected to call a Commons vote on the issue in the autumn.
Defence Spending
The Daily Telegraph reports that US President Barack Obama has described Britain as America’s strongest ally after David Cameron agrees to increase Defence spending to two per cent of national income.
You can read the Defence Secretary’s blog on the recent announcements on the Defence budget here.
Image of the day
King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery took over from the Household Cavalry to provide the Queen's Life Guard at Horse Guards at the beginning of July. More usually associated with the ceremonial gun salutes and musical rides with their 13lb guns, they took on the role of both mounted and dismounted guard at the entrance of Horse Guards.
This year, for the first time, they are using Knightsbridge Barracks, the home of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, for the period of their duty, as opposed to Wellington Barracks, which they have used in previous years. The change takes place while the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment take a break from ceremonial duties for a period of equine training in Norfolk.
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