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Jim Murphy MP

Shadow defence secretary

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Stories involving Jim Murphy

Murphy: Referendum on the cards

Britain should eventually hold an in-out referendum on its European Union membership, the Shadow Defence Secretary has said.

Jim Murphy told the BBC's Sunday Politics the time for a vote would come after greater integration of the eurozone nations.

"I think at some point there will have to be a referendum on the EU. I don't think it's for today or for the next year, but I think it should happen.

"My preference would be an in-or-out referendum when the time comes. Whenever the referendum comes, almost everyone in the Labour Party, along with the Liberal Democrats and British business, will be arguing we should stay part of the EU, because it is good for our economy and good for Britain."


Miliband 'two-faced' on defence cuts

Ed Miliband has been criticised for being "two-faced" for criticising government cuts to the defence budget whilst planning more if he is elected.

In a leaked letter seen by The Sun, Mr Miliband makes it clear to Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy that he wants to force through “further savings” if Labour wins the next election.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond criticised the comments, accusing Labour of "secretly planning to go much further with deep cuts to our military".


Defence cuts 'risk military skills'

The Government's defence cuts are happening at such a rapid rate they are putting important military skills at risk, the National Audit Office has warned.

The NAO's report said that "profound changes" were needed to working practices if the current level of military performance is to be maintained.

Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy said the report was an "astonishing criticism" and that there would be "real worries that the drive for redundancies is rushed and wrongheaded."


MoD cuts 4,000 jobs

The Ministry of Defence has announced around 4,100 job cuts across the armed forces today, as part of planned reduction in force numbers by 20,000 over the next five years.

Minister Andrew Robathan insisted that the MoD would "retain the capabilities that our Armed Forces require in order to meet the challenges of the future".

But Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy responded: "We are concerned about the human and military impact of these job losses. Capability is being lost, as are people's livelihoods."


Murphy demands carrier clarification

Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy has asked the Government to explain its "confused" aircraft carrier programme.

Writing exclusively for PoliticsHome, Mr Murphy said the "disarray" of defence policy was "totally of the Government's own making", and demanded ministers "replace uncertainty with clarity" at today's Defence Questions.

He described a potential Government U-turn over the carriers as a "humiliation", which marked one of the "biggest public procurement messes for many decades".


Labour warn over outsourcing military procurement

Labour has warned the Government against outsourcing control of defence procurements, the Financial Times reports. The move comes days before ministers are due to unveil plans to radically shake-up how equipment is purchased for the military. The Government is expected to set up a separate body from the Ministry of Defence to handle procurement, but Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy said he would be "concerned if government didn’t retain a leading role in the business of procurement".