Sir Menzies Campbell MP has repeated his call for Trident to be included in the Strategic Defence Review in a letter to Defence Secretary Liam Fox. Following the announcement by the Chancellor that the Ministry of Defence will be responsible for paying the cost of a Trident replacement, Sir Menzies has said that it must now be “de facto” under consideration.

Sir Menzies also raised questions about the need for continuous “at sea deterrence” as there “is no immediate nuclear threat to the United Kingdom” and if scaled back the life of Trident could be extended by several years.

In his letter Sir Menzies said:

“As you are aware the Coalition Agreement allows the Liberal Democrats to propose alternatives to the like for like replacement of Trident. This provision is now much more significant in view of the Chancellor’s decision that the cost of Trident must be borne by the defence budget and not funded from other government sources.

“In truth the logic of the Chancellor’s decision is that the Trident replacement has now de facto become part of the defence review.

“Is it not now time to reconsider the whole approach to Trident, to include it formally in the defence review and to ensure that this element of our defence receives the scrutiny which strategic, political and financial circumstances demand.”

North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell and MSP Iain Smith have welcomed the introduction of a Code of Practice for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) which should bring to an end the misleading claims of broadband speed by some companies in their adverts so customers “get what they see on the tin”.

Following their constituency wide survey last year which concluded that the speed and quality of the broadband in North east Fife was not at the levels advertised by ISPs, Sir Menzies and Mr Smith have been making numerous representations to Ofcom and BT for an end to misleading adverts and investment in the broadband infrastructure in rural areas.

The industry regulator Ofcom has released research which shows the differences between the claims ISPs make for broadband and the speed actually being delivered. According to Ofcom in 2009, when actual speeds for broadband were 4.1Mbps the average for those services were being advertised at was 7.1Mbps. In 2010, when people are generally getting 5.2Mbps, ISPs are claiming they will support speeds of up to 11.5Mbps.

Commenting, Sir Menzies said:

“In my experience broadband customers understand that the speed and quality of their broadband depend upon a number of factors. But that doesn’t mean that internet service providers are excused from advertising their broadband services in a way that can be very misleading.

“The new Code of Practice being introduced should mean that customers get more accurate information about the broadband service available to them when they sign up to a provider. It is good news for consumers that the largest UK ISPs have all signed up to it.”

Iain Smith MSP said:

“Our campaign has highlighted the disparity in service and speed between rural and urban areas. The creation of this Code of Practice will now mean that broadband customers will actually get the kind of service they see on the tin before they buy.

“This is a good first step but there needs to be more investment in the infrastructure and for BT to open up their network for more competition.”

ENDS

Sir Menzies Campbell has written to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to seek reassurance that any cuts to the BBC licence fee will not result in cuts to the BBCs programme output.

Sir Menzies said:

“I’ve had a lot of emails and letters from constituents worried that cuts to the licence fee will have an inevitable knock-on effect on the quality and range of BBC programmes.

“It’s right that the BBC should consider how it can cut waste and provide better value for money, but we must not take short term decisions which could impact on the long term provision of high quality public service broadcasting by the BBC. The BBC is the envy of the world. We must keep it that way.”

Sir Menzies Campbell MP has branded claims by the Labour party that all three Scottish RAF bases could close as a result of the Strategic Defence Review as “naïve and damaging scaremongering”.

The speculative comments from one Scottish Labour MP and two of their MSPs came after reading an article about potential future MOD budget cuts.

Sir Menzies said:

“This type of scaremongering from the Labour party is naïve and damaging.

“All political parties committed themselves to a full scale strategic defence review following the General Election. For Labour now to complain about the nature of the current review is curious to say the least.

“Labour MPs would be better advised to concentrate on why their government failed to provide proper equipment support for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and presided over damaging shortages of helicopters in both operations.

“I have consistently supported RAF Leuchars during the 23 years I have been an MP and am a regular visitor to the base.

“Leuchars is a vital component of the air defences of the United Kingdom and provides the 24 hour stand by aircraft known as the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) which protects Britain’s airspace from intruders. The QRA has been much busier recently in tracking Russian aircraft probing our air defences.

“The case for RAF Leuchars is overwhelming, not least because it is due to take delivery within a few weeks of the first of the Eurofighter aircraft which will make up three squadrons at the base. In addition there are units of the RAF regiment and the Territorial Army deployed at Leuchars.

“Leuchars is central to Britain’s defence.”

North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell has added his support to a campaign demanding calls to mobile phones be made much cheaper.

When a call is made to a different mobile network or from a landline the network which is called makes a charge for carrying the call. This is called the Mobile Termination Rate (MTR) and is currently charged at 4p or more for every minute of the call.

The ‘Terminate the Rate’ campaign argues this is excessive and distorts competition. The industry regulator Ofcom is proposing to bring in changes to lower the MTR gradually over the next four years. The Terminate the Rate campaign is calling for the change to made much sooner.

Commenting, Sir Menzies said:

“High MTRs artificially inflate the cost of making calls to mobiles. I’ve received dozens of emails and letters from constituents who are fed up with excessive mobile phone bills and want to see the MTR lowered to reflect its true cost.

“When these rates are reduced mobile operators will be forced to become more competitive, meaning better deals for all consumers. Small businesses will save on their phone bills, boosting profits. Lower phone bills will leave consumers with more money in their pockets during this difficult economic period. It will help vulnerable people, especially those who live alone, to maintain contact with family and friends and prevent social isolation.

“I am writing to Ofcom to ask it to lower the Mobile Termination Rates sooner rather than later and have signed the parliamentary Motion supporting the ‘Terminate the Rate’ campaign.”