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| Back to the future - Conservative campaign poster from 1992 |
"The British
defence industry is a great economic success story, including here in
Crawley. Across the UK, it employs
300,000 people, including 2,400 at Thales in Manor Royal. Most of these jobs
are skilled and well-paid, making a significant contribution to Crawley’s local
economy. Our defence industry has an annual turnover of £35 billion and makes
up 10% of all UK manufacturing. Make no mistake, having a leading global
company such as Thales here in Crawley is prestigious and very beneficial to
our town.
Therefore, I
am utterly dismayed that the Labour leadership at Crawley Borough Council is
actively proposing at their cabinet meeting on Wednesday 2nd December, that the
Council should financially boycott the British defence industry. Labour wants
to prohibit the Council from investing any of its £100 million cash reserves in
our defence industry because of weapons manufacture. These companies make
weapons, equipment and the airport security facilities that not only keep our
Armed Forces and Police safe, but which ultimately keeps our country safe.
Just three
weeks after Jeremy Corbyn’s visit to Crawley, it is clear that Crawley’s Labour
Councillors are increasingly using the Council to force Corbyn’s left-wing agenda
on Crawley. I strongly urge Labour to change their mind at their cabinet
meeting on 2nd December, but if they don’t, all 18 Conservative Crawley Borough
Councillors will be voting against Labour’s policy at the Full Council meeting
on 16th December.
With Labour
having 19 Councillors, it would only take one Labour Councillor to vote against
for it to be defeated. I encourage Crawley residents to lobby Labour Councillors
to pressure them to put our country first. If they refuse and put Jeremy Corbyn
first, then you have the opportunity to vote them out of office at the local
elections on 5th May next year. If Crawley’s Labour Councillors do not back down and they force their unpatriotic policy on Crawley Borough Council, I give an absolute guarantee that if Crawley elects a Conservative Council next May, we will remove this grotesque insult to our defence industry and our Armed Forces at the very first opportunity."
