Deployment to Mali

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Treasury – in the House of Commons at 12:34 pm on 29 January 2013.

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Photo of Philip Hammond Philip Hammond The Secretary of State for Defence 12:34, 29 January 2013

I do not accept that this is an example of mission creep. What we have done is extremely modest. We are providing strategic air-lift support for a limited period and one surveillance aircraft, operating from a neighbouring, friendly country, and we are now talking about deploying up to 250 troops in a training role, most of which will be carried out in the countries donating the troop forces. I do not consider that to be an escalation of the scale characterised by the hon. Gentleman.