Armed Forces Bill

The Government are moving in the right direction and making progress towards what Nicholas Blake outlined in his review. We welcome that, but we do not believe that the amendment goes far enough. The principles that Blake set out should be adhered to more closely, and we hope that the Government will reconsider their approach in the future. We do not accept the contention from the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth) that the measure would break the chain of command. We think that it links in with that chain, but that it should be reviewed at some future date.