In the wake of Ann Widdecombe’s murder, JOHN GREEN wonders whether the government will really get to grips with the root cause of these attacks on our MPs
ISRAELI arms firm Elbit is building its business in Britain by taking top military officials for “informal suppers” and “discreet and private” dinners.
Elbit is a relatively new arms supplier in Britain. Its dinner-with-Elbit approach is very similar to the hospitality offered to officials by the more established arms firms. As a “transparency” measure, government departments list all “hospitality” given to their “senior officials.”
For the MoD, these lists cover everyone who is above the rank of “two star” meaning Major Generals or their equivalents and above. No other department records as many dinners with suppliers as the MoD.
The defence secretary’s resignation reveals not a split over principle but a dispute over pace of military spending, as Britain’s political Establishment unites behind deeper Nato commitments, argues NICK WRIGHT


