This morning’s broadcast news includes an interview on Radio 4’s Today programme with General John Allen, special presidential envoy for the US-led coalition fighting ISIL. He says that ISIL has to be defeated and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "had to go".
He added that it was "heart-wrenching" to see people fleeing the region but added that the coalition was in a stronger place than a year ago.
Quick Reaction Alert
There are positive pieces in The Daily Telegraph and The Sun about their unprecedented access to the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) system. The stories follow the journalists who were shown a practice QRA starting at the National Air Defence Operations Centre, through controllers at RAF Scampton to the pilots taking off at RAF Coningsby. The articles compare how the Battle of Britain protected the UK 75 years ago and how although the technology has vastly improved, the idea is still the same. Both articles detail the decision process and chain of command involved in taking action against an unresponsive aircraft. Both online articles include a series of photos and film from the visit demonstrating how the process works. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
To authorise a strike to protect the public is the toughest decision of all and you hope it doesn’t come to that, but you have to be prepared. Defence involves responsibility and we can’t run away from that.
Sky News will show a documentary on the QRA capability tonight at 9.30pm.
Sergeant Blackman
The Daily Mail continues its coverage of the "Marine A” case, stating that demands are growing for the conviction of jailed Royal Marine Alexander Blackman to be re-examined urgently. Senior MPs are reportedly backing the Daily Mail campaign. The report claims the MOD deliberately withheld evidence from Sgt Blackman's court martial and that military chiefs are accused of applying 'considerable pressure' on the jury of officers to convict. The Daily Mail inside pages includes an interview with Sgt Blackman’s wife who says that his conviction has devastated her life and how she has never doubted him.
The Today programme interviewed Mrs Blackman who stated that new evidence has come to light but she wouldn’t want to second guess the outcome of any review. Professor Michael Clarke, from think-tank Royal United Service Institute, said mitigating evidence would need to be strong for any change to the ruling. The presenter noted that the MOD and head of the army have confidence in the decision of the court.
An MOD spokesperson said:
The MOD followed and supported the legal process throughout. This involved a full criminal investigation and a court martial where witnesses were called by both the independent Service Prosecution Authority and defence counsel. We respect the authority and decision of the court and would, of course, co-operate fully with any future legal process. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
EU army
The Daily Express reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pressuring Prime Minister David Cameron to drop his opposition for an EU army if he wants Germany to support his bid to renegotiate terms of Britain’s EU membership. The article states that some critics fear the move could marginalise Britain within NATO and undermine our special relationship with America. Several Conservative MPs are quoted in the article and a Government statement says the British public are clear that they are not happy with the status quo of the EU and that the Prime Minister is determined to address those concerns.
Syria
The Daily Telegraph reports that Nicola Sturgeon has revealed she could attempt to force David Cameron to hold a second independence referendum if military action is taken in Syria. The Daily Mail’s comment piece says the government should not use the Queen as an excuse to drag the country to war again and that risk to life of the monarch has been used before as a cover for conflict and links it to the decision made to strike in Syria. It states that MPs will be asked to vote on air strikes in Syria. The Defence Secretary’s comments on the recent RAF strike can be found here.
