Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 6:49 pm on 18 December 1986.
We did not order a foreign aircraft.
Let us look briefly at the Government's record on procurement during the past three or four years. It is not necessary to have a long memory to remember what happened the last time the Government became involved in defence procurement. About a year ago there was lie question of the purchase of Westland or of a share in it. Perhaps I should remind Conservative Members what happened—[Interruption.] We are discussing an important matter of procurement. I am trying to show that the Government's judgment is not particularly good on these matters. What happened? Two Secretaries of State resigned. The Prime Minister was so determined that shareholder power should overrule the national interest and that the Americans should control Westland that she was prepared to subvert many of the conventions of the constitution to get her way. She got herself into such a pickle that she had to call upon Sir Robert Armstrong—that well known linguistic gymnast—to rescue her from her difficulties.