Home Secretary Nandy: "Labour Party are the adults in the room when it comes to defense"
"Sometimes it can get lost in the politics of a campaign, but as Home Secretary, my number one priority is always keeping the people of this country safe. It takes a cool head and a willingness to listen to all sides of an issue. As tempting as it can be to take a partisan position and double down, it's just not worth it when people's lives are at stake. When it comes to our safety, we're always best working together, which is the exactly the approach we've taken in the Labour Party in order to keep this country safe for years."
"When you take a look at our records and judge our party manifestos, you'll see that the Labour Party are the adults in the room when it comes to defense. We're quite mindful of the disastrous failures of the Tories on this issue going back to the 80s where we pushed our military so far and risked so many lives needlessly without the ability to pay for it. Those are mistakes that we simply cannot afford to make again. On the other side of the coin, the Liberal Democrats propose massive defense cuts, irregardless of the consequences. To be frank, between gutting the military to the point of starvation and railing against Nuclear Power beyond reason, the Liberal Democrats sound more like the Greens these days. I can't even tell them apart anymore. I'm honestly surprised, as two members of the Home Secretary club, that Nick Clegg would take such an extreme, and frankly, reckless position on our national security."
"In the Labour Party, we propose to maintain our defense spending in the areas most needed, while examining areas of waste and inefficiency that we can trim to make our national defense even stronger. The best kind of cut is one that's made to actually improve how the government performs, not just making a cut for the sake of cutting. We have so many wonderful men and women making sacrifices and putting their lives on the line to keep us safe. What kind of thanks would it be to gut spending, both making them less safe on their missions and also killing their jobs? I've heard so many concerns from soldiers on the campaign trail. They keep telling me, "Lisa, why do the Lib Dems hate us so much? Don't let them kill our jobs. We have sons and daughters that we need to feed." I don't know what the Lib Dems have against our military; you'll have to ask them. As for me, I'm doing the best I can by taking the campaign to you and making my pitch, but in the end, it's up to you. We make the solemn promise as the Labour Party to our absolute best to protect jobs, to protect our national security, and to improve the lives of everyday people, whether you're a soldier, a miner, a teacher, or anything else. Alone, we are just individuals shouting to the skies, but together, we are a magnificent country and a people that can do anything we set our minds to. Thank you and God Bless!"
Campaign Stops in WalesJanuary 27: Cardiff
January 28: Swansea
Campaign Stops in East MidlandsJanuary 29: Leicester
January 30: West Bromwich
Campaign Stop in West MidlandsJanuary 31: Birmingham
Campaign Stop in Yorkshire and HumberFebruary 1: Sheffield
Campaign Stop in East of EnglandFebruary 2: Norwich
