The Prime Minister delivered a statement to the House of Commons on the topic of the G8 Summit in Italy and the situation in Afghanistan on 13 July 2009.
Read the statement
First Mr Speaker, I am sure the whole house will join me in sending our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the servicemen killed in Afghanistan in the past few days.
They were: Rifleman Daniel Hume, 4th Battalion the Rifles; Private John Brackpool, Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, attached to 1st Battalion Welsh Guards; Riflemen Daniel Simpson, Joseph Murphy, James Backhouse, William Aldridge, and Corporal Jonathan Horne, all of 2nd Battalion the Rifles; and Corporal Lee Scott, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. Three of whom, Mr Speaker, were just 18 years of age.
It is at times of loss and sadness like these that we become ever more aware of the service and the sacrifice our armed forces make for our country. We owe them, and all those who have been killed or wounded in conflict, a huge debt of gratitude.
Mr Speaker, I want to make a statement about the conclusions of the G8 meeting, the major economies forum on climate change, and our outreach meetings with African leaders; and I also want to thank Prime Minister Berlusconi for his organisation of the summit.
But first, Mr Speaker, I will focus on one of the most important challenges considered by the G8. This is a time of great challenge for our armed forces serving in Afghanistan. I have written to the chair of the Liaison Committee and placed a copy of the letter in the libraries of both houses. And we are also making time available on Thursday for a debate on Afghanistan.
But perhaps, Mr Speaker, I could take this opportunity to update the House on our current strategy and operations in Afghanistan, alongside forty other nations. And our work with Pakistan.
Eight years ago, after September 11th 2001, the case for intervention in Afghanistan was clear: to remove the Taleban regime and deprive al Qaeda of a safe base for terrorist plots that were a threat to countries across the world.
In 2009 the case for our continued involvement is the same - to prevent terrorist attacks here in Britain and across the world by dealing with the threat at its source: that crucible of terror on the border and mountain areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We must not forget that three-quarters of terror plots against the UK have roots in these areas.
To succeed we must succeed both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
So our strategy - which I set out to the House in April - reflects an integrated approach to both countries: if progress in one is to be sustainable, we must have progress in both. And progress requires three things: military action against terrorists and the insurgency; action to build the rule of law; and economic development to give local people a stake in their future.
In the last few months the Pakistan government has taken action, launching successful operations to drive out the Pakistani Taleban from the Swat and Buner regions. And — while the overwhelming majority of the Pakistani people fully support their government’s action — operational success has come at a heavy humanitarian cost, with about 2 million displaced. Since we must ensure that this does not become a pretext for radicalisation, we are helping to lead in providing humanitarian assistance to Pakistan for these internally displaced people combining our support for Pakistani military action with development assistance and help with reconstruction.
In Afghanistan, international forces must take the lead in the front line, because the Afghan Army and police are not yet able to maintain control alone. But again our strategy is to combine coalition military action with civilian support for development and training the Afghan forces to take more control.
As the House knows, British troops are today involved in a major military operation - panther’s claw - fighting to bring security to areas in central Helmand until now beyond the reach of the Afghan Government. American forces are engaged in a similar, co-ordinated operation in the south of the province.
And we are combining our military advance with civilian action. When we go into the towns and villages and districts in Helmand our forces are supported by Afghan army and police who - with our help - can hold the ground we have cleared, and prevent the Taleban from returning. And our civilian and military stabilisation experts work with the governor of Mangal and his district governors to follow up with plans for new roads, clean water, and other basic services - and above all justice, not the mediaeval brutality of the Taleban but the rule of law.
Earlier this year we announced an increase in our numbers for the summer campaign and the Afghan election period to around 9,000. Today the figure on the ground is 9,100, as commanders rotate troops that have been fighting at peak intensity - it is right that those operating in the most arduous conditions are given respite when they need it. Mr Speaker, we keep our force levels under constant review, depending on the operational requirement. And I have been reassured by commanders on the ground and at the top of the armed services that we have the manpower we need for the current operations.
I spoke with President Karzai yesterday. He expressed his condolences at the loss of precious lives in Helmand; and I urged him to make available this summer — in addition to the 500 already involved in panther’s claw — more Afghan army personnel for operations in Helmand - so that our hard-won gains can be fully consolidated.
Our troops will continue to face a tough and dangerous battle, and we will continue to give their safety the highest priority. Since 2006-07 we have increased funding for the Afghan operation - which is from the treasury reserve and in addition to the defence budget - year on year from 700 million to £1.5 billion to £2.6 billion to over £3 billion this year -over and above a defence budget of over £30 billion. The Chancellor has made clear that all urgent operational requirements will be met.
In the last two years we have increased helicopter numbers by 60 percent and because we have provided more crews and equipment we have increased capability by 84 percent. And since 2006 we have spent over £1 billion in urgent operational requirements for vehicles - including 280 mastiffs, which offer world-leading protection against mines and roadside bombs. And we will go further this year with the deployment of the new Ridgeback vehicles, and of Merlin helicopters. And we have just agreed a £100 million programme for the upgrading of Chinook helicopters.
As the chief of the defence staff has said: “The British Armed Forces are better equipped today than they have been at any time in 40 years”. But we are not complacent. Our troops operate in a dynamic, ever-changing environment. This government, and our military commanders, recognise the need to adapt as conditions develop.
And Mr Speaker, despite the tragic losses of the last two weeks, our commanders assure me that we are having a major impact on the Taleban in central Helmand and that morale is high.
But our brave servicemen and women know that taking the fight to the enemy as they are now doing - to prevent terrorism on the streets of Britain - will inevitably put them in harm’s way.
The majority of recent casualties have been sustained not in direct confrontation with the insurgency, but from improvised explosive devices - and from April we have begun to deploy additional units to tackle this growing threat.
As I made clear in April when I announced for the period of the Afghan elections the temporary uplift to around 9000 through the summer — we will review that commitment after the Afghan elections, with the advice of our commanders and in discussion with our allies.
And at the same time we will continue to strengthen our approach in the ways set out in our April strategy: by better campaign continuity, further improvements in civilian-military integration, the closest possible co-ordination with American forces, and above all by a gradual shift towards training and mentoring of the Afghan army and police.
At the G8 meeting all members agreed on the importance of the work now being done in Afghanistan, and I talked directly with President Obama about the challenges we face together.
Mr Speaker, it has been a very difficult summer, and it is not over yet. But if we are to deny Helmand to the Taleban in the long term; and if we are to defeat this vicious insurgency; and by so doing make Britain and the world a safer place - then we must persist with our operations in Afghanistan.
Mr Speaker, I am confident that we are right to be in Afghanistan, that we have the strongest possible plan, and we have the resources we need to do the job.
Mr Speaker, let me turn to other matters raised at the G8 summit.
Mr Speaker, this summit will be remembered as the climate change summit where we achieved real progress towards our goal of reaching a global climate change agreement at Copenhagen in December.
First the G8 and then the major economies forum concluded that average global temperatures must rise by no more than two degrees Celsius. This is an unprecedented and universal agreement, taking in developed and developing countries alike. It reflects a worldwide consensus unthinkable only a few years ago: that the scientific evidence for climate change is irrefutable and all of us now have a duty to act.
The summit also agreed
• “That developing countries will contribute to a global agreement by promptly undertaking actions whose projected effects on emissions represent a meaningful deviation from business as usual in the mid-term”
• That “financial resources for mitigation and adaptation will need to be scaled up urgently and substantially and should involve mobilising resources to support developing countries.”
• And that, in order to take this forward, G20 finance ministers should work on this further - considering the proposals the British government has set out, including the Mexican green fund - and reporting back at the Pittsburgh Summit in September.
For the first time the G8 countries agreed the goal of reducing their emissions by 80 per cent or more by 2050, as part of a global goal of at least a 50 per cent reduction. And that “consistent with this ambitious long term objective, we will undertake robust aggregate and individual mid-term reductions.” These are the most ambitious targets ever agreed by the G8.
This Summit also sent out a second wake-up call on the world economy: strongly reaffirming the commitments made at the G20 in London to take “all necessary steps to support demand, restore growth and maintain financial stability” ; pledging “to implement swiftly” these measures, and calling on “all countries to act decisively to reinforce the international economic and financial system.”
In advance of the next G20 meeting in Pittsburgh in September, the summit laid the foundations for a new “strategy” to “lead the global economy to stable, balanced and sustainable growth” by acting both “individually and collectively”.
We agreed to “vigorously pursue the work necessary to ensure global financial stability” with more bank lending, reform and funding of the international financial institutions and fast progress on regulation of financial services. And we agreed to do what it takes to make progress on growth, on commodity prices and on trade.
And we reaffirmed our commitment to a green recovery by “investing in measures encouraging the creation of green jobs.”
Mr Speaker, on development - we agreed that the global recession is no excuse for abandoning our commitments to the poorest.
So we reaffirmed our ambitious pledges to increase aid to Africa by $25 billion, and by $50 billion globally by 2010.
The G8 agreed a global consensus on maternal and child health “to accelerate progress” on those millennium development goals where historically we have made the least progress to date.
And, Mr Speaker, in meeting with leading African nations, President Obama, I and other leaders agreed decisive action on food security to avert a hunger emergency - with a $20 billion package of assistance over three years to support the agricultural sector in poorer countries. And I am pleased to say that the United Kingdom will contribute $1.8 billion to this initiative.
The G8 leaders issued a strong statement on non-proliferation. We welcomed President Obama’s proposal to hold a conference in America next march, before negotiations on the review of the non-proliferation treaty begin. And the UK government will be setting out its proposals to prepare for this summit in 2010.
We said that if Iran does not respond to the international community’s offer of a supervised civil nuclear programme, we would put together a tougher package of sanctions in the autumn.
I welcome the solidarity shown by our G8 partners, who agreed that “embassies in Iran must be permitted to exercise their functions effectively…without arbitrary restrictions on, or intimidation of, their staff” and that “unjustified detentions of journalists and recent arrests of foreign nationals are unacceptable.”
On Burma, we reiterated our support to do all we can to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The G8 also discussed the measures we must take together to address swine flu.
Mr Speaker, in the coming months there will be crucial summits: on the global economy in Pittsburgh; on climate change at Copenhagen; and on non-proliferation in New York. If these meetings are to secure lasting change, now is the time for global leadership - to build a new strategy to deliver global growth; to face up to our obligations on climate change and poverty; and to face down those who would threaten our global security.
Mr Speaker, this G8 has laid the foundations for such progress; and once again - within G8 - Britain has played a pivotal leadership role.
I commend this statement to the house.
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