Westbury’s MP has called for £4.5 billion earmarked for cycling to be spent on defence instead.
Dr Andrew Murrison used an opposition day debate on defence to attack government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which was published earlier this month.
The MP, who was a surgeon commander in the Royal Navy and served in Iraq, held junior defence posts in Conservative governments in 2012-14 and again from 2022-24.
He is still a Royal Navy reservist.
During the Defence Spending and Readiness debate on Tuesday 23rd June, Dr Murrison took aim at Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Al Pinkerton.
Dr Pinkerton told the Commons, “At a time when Europe is rearming, Britain is hesitating, and hesitation sends signals – to our armed forces, to industry, to our allies and, most dangerously, to our adversaries.
“The resignations of the former Defence Secretary and the former Armed Forces Minister were a clarion warning from those who have scrutinised the numbers that they were left wanting.”
But Dr Murrison interjected, “The Liberal Democrats are famously known for their love of bicycling.
“Does he agree that it would be a good idea for the government to drop their plan to spend £4.5 billion over five years on creating cycleways and rededicate that money to defence?”
Dr Pinkerton described the question as “a curious argument,” saying “Frankly, I do not think it is a choice between one and the other.
“I am perfectly happy for the government to spend money on both cycleways and defence.”
The current UK defence budget is around £66 billion a year – equivalent to roughly 2.3 per cent of GDP.
The government’s current plan is to commit 2.5 per cent of GDP to NATO‑qualifying defence spending by April 2027.
£4.5 billion would equate to just under seven per cent of defence spending – enough to pay for the government’s entire military drone strategy.
Pictured: Andrew Murrison
