Nia has given her first interview to a national newspaper since being appointed as Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary. In her interview with the Mirror, Nia discussed defence spending, the Trident defence system and her plans to visit UK troops stationed in Cyprus.
Nia told the Mirror: “When Labour was in government we consistently spent well above the 2% [NATO defence spending] commitment. But since 2010, the Tories have hammered the defence budget with major cuts.
“The Government are very busy pretending they are doing things when in fact they have been very sneaky in what they have done – the fact they’re trying to say they’re spending 2% on defence when actually a big chunk of that is on pensions. Pensions are very important but they in no way contribute to the defence capabilities we have. They are fiddling about with the figures. It’s smoke and mirrors, an accounting trick, a sleight of hand.”
You can read the full interview here – http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/labour-planning-more-warplanes-navy-9557114