Aldershot Branch this month passed the following Motion for the Constituency to consider submitting for debate at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton in September:

Conference notes:

·   Aldershot is home to the British Army headquarters and a major garrison; it has a proud and strong relationship with the Armed Forces.

·   Conservative Government is failing in its duty by cutting the Army by 10,000, with further cuts meaning fewer planes, frigates and tanks over the next five years;

·   These fresh cuts come off the back of a decade of decline in which the Tories have reduced our Armed Forces by 45,000 (one quarter).

Conference believes:

·   All our Armed Forces personnel and veterans, regardless of their country of origin, should be treated equally and with respect.

·   A strong military must be backed by an ethical foreign policy.

·   Britain should have an integrated political and military strategy which allies to our core values, such as democracy and freedoms provided under the UN Charter;

·   Labour should be fully committed to NATO as a force for peace and security;

Conferences supports:

·  Our Armed Forces, our nation’s veterans and the wider forces family, and thanks them for their contribution to the pandemic response, supporting our NHS and roll out of the vaccine;

·  A well-paid, well-equipped Armed Forces which continues the historical link with towns like Aldershot;

·  More defence spending going on procurement within Britain, to help strengthen our economy and provide more jobs;

·  Labour’s 2019 Manifesto commitments to a human rights-led foreign policy; a twin-track policy of multilateral disarmament and a minimum, credible nuclear deterrent; and a defence industrial strategy.