Today’s defence relates news includes comments from Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) following his appointment as the next NATO Chairman of the Military Committee (CMC) as well as the reaction to the full Leigh Day verdict.
CDS NATO CMC appointment
Following CDS being elected the next NATO Chairman of the Military Committee, there has been widespread coverage of his appointment.
The Sun and the Daily Express focus on CDS’s comments on the EU, with the Express saying Britain’s top military officer has ‘warned EU bureaucrats not to duplicate NATO’. The article carries CDS’s quotes, saying that ‘NATO is a hard power. It has proper sense of direction and leadership. So that is the offer to the people of the 29 nations who have chosen to join the Alliance that creates collective security.’
Elsewhere, The Times focused on defence spending, while The Guardian led with the angle that the military needs to adapt to face a “darkening” security landscape.
CDS Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach said:
It is a huge honour to have been chosen to be the next Chairman of the Military Committee, one of the most important positions in NATO, central to European security. I am excited to take on this next challenge at such an important time for NATO, at a time when the alliance must modernise to face new and ever adapting threats. Having spent the last year in the hugely rewarding position as Head of the UK’s Armed Forces, I know I am ready to take on this challenge. I would like to personally thank all of those who supported me through this campaign and voted for me in the election.
Leigh Day
Following an initial ruling in the summer, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) yesterday released its full judgement in the case brought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority against Leigh Day. The ruling cleared Leigh Day of any wrongdoing. However, in the full SDT judgement, one member of a disciplinary panel criticised Martyn Day for not being a fully credible and honest witness.
The Telegraph, The Sun and The Times all report on this this morning.
An MOD spokesperson said:
We have noted today’s decision, including the dissenting opinion and the questions it raises. We are disappointed that, unlike in the case of Phil Shiner’s Public Interest Lawyers, the Tribunal has not agreed with the concerns we have raised. We will continue to both vigorously defend any opportunistic claims when we believe they are false or exaggerated, and to bring any evidence of wrongdoing to the attention of supervising bodies.
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