Liam Fox: Labour's economic policies were a national security liability

Let me begin by saying what a privilege it is to address you as Secretary of State for Defence.

Not a day has passed since my appointment when I have not felt truly honoured to be working with the men and women of our Armed Forces and those who support ...

Liam Fox: The Armed Forces cannot take another five years of Labour

With the 1998 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) New Labour got off to a relatively good start with the Armed Forces.

The 1998 SDR was a well respected document. Moreover, it used a foreign policy baseline-not a treasury baseline- as many of its predecessors have done.

I believe that this was ...

Liam Fox: There must be a civil trial for General Fonseka

After years of war, there is much talk in this country about peace.  This is a welcome change.  But peace is not simply the absence of war. 

A genuine peace requires other, positive attributes.  It requires freedom from fear-the fear of hunger, the fear of sickness, the fear of persecution ...

Liam Fox: The EU should only act when NATO cannot

International relations theorist Hans Morgenthau, in his 1948 Politics Among Nations argued that, 'alliances are a necessary function of the balance of power operating within a multiple-state system'  and whether nations decide if they shall or shall not pursue alliances is 'a matter not of principle but of expediency and ...

Liam Fox: Brown still in denial over defence black hole

I would like to thank the Secretary of State for his statement and for prior sight of it, although we do seem to have been the last to see the Green Paper since every journalist I have met this week has been telling me about its contents.

I think the ...

Liam Fox: Gray report shows MoD procurement process is broken

The handling of this report reflects much of the content of the report itself-unnecessary delay, incompetence, and an attempt to avoid responsibility.

We could have had this report months ago. We could have given it time and thought over the summer recess.

What did we get instead?

Publication barely an ...

Liam Fox: Labour's treatment of the Territorial Army is unforgivable

Once again can I echo the Secretary of State's comments about the sacrifices of the military. As a society we are lucky we have those who are willing to volunteer.

Three events dominate today: Afghanistan, the Gray report which I think we should not be spending time on in ...

Liam Fox: Giving our Armed Forces what they need

Right now there is a young corporal in Afghanistan who will be making on the spot decisions that will be literally life or death.

There are sailors and marines patrolling in the Gulf, whose every move is being watched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Someone may be waking up in ...

Liam Fox: If Afghanistan will be lost, it will be lost at home

The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish the kind of war on which they are embarking. Neither mistaking it for, nor trying to turn it into, something that is alien to its nature. This is the ...

Liam Fox: Radical reform needed at the MoD

I would like to thank Jane's and the other sponsors of the UK Defence Conference 2009 for asking me to give the opening keynote address today.

It has been a common feature of recent British defence reviews that they have been predicated on the belief that the world is ...

Liam Fox: A crisis of confidence threatens our society's resilience

Politics and public policy do not exist in a vacuum. They exist within and interact with the social values and fashions of the day.  We need to understand, and if necessary correct for, these trends if we are to control our direction of political travel. The alternative is to drift ...

Liam Fox: Unacceptable that carriers have taken twice as long as WWII

It is because of the esteem in which we hold our Armed Forces that so many of us were outraged at those who choose to protest against the bravery and professionalism of our troops returning home from operations.

I'm sure the whole House can agree that those returning form ...

Liam Fox: We must defuse timebomb of veterans' mental health

I have long believed that the way in which society treats those least able to play a full role is a measure of how civilised that society is. It is also almost impossible to fix a broken society if you don't fix the broken individuals within it. That is ...

Liam Fox: Iran & Britain – Understanding what we have in common

In a speech to the University of St. Andrews' Institute for Iranian Studies today, Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:

"During my visit to Tehran last summer all my meetings began with the same pre-amble. It went something like this: For long periods of our history Iran was an ...

Liam Fox: Britain, Europe & NATO – Heading in the wrong direction

"As I sit here this morning the EU Constitution is reshaping our Defence Alliances by stealth away from NATO and towards the EU.

For most of the 1990's, until Tony Blair at St. Malo, the United Kingdom viewed any attempt at EU defence integration with a high degree of ...

Liam Fox: We need a Government that honours our Armed Forces

Addressing the Conservative Party Conference today, Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, said

A few months ago I met a young man in a hospital who had just returned from Afghanistan with horrific injuries. As a doctor I marvelled at his physical bravery. But there was more than that. He ...

Liam Fox: Speech at Folkestone constituency annual dinner

Speaking tonight at an event in Folkestone constituency annual, Shadow Deference Secretary, Liam Fox said:

Sometime, perhaps in a few weeks, Gordon Brown will call a general election. And the basis of Labour's case will be as big a lie and as great a con as anything Tony Blair ...

Liam Fox: We must learn from the mistakes of the Blair years before we return to office

Addressing a Conservative Way Forward dinner with Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, said:

THE BLAIR YEARS

As we remember the achievements of one British Prime Minister we prepare for the departure of another, entirely different one. 2007 will see the departure from No.10 of ...

Fox: The price of success in Afghanistan maybe high, but the cost of failure would be catastrophic

In his speech to the Conservative Party Conference, Shadow Defence Secretary, Liam Fox said:

"This year, here, in the United Kingdom, we will spend only 2.5% of our GDP on defence. Let me put this in perspective. This is the smallest proportion of our national wealth that we have ...

Fox: The Europeanisation of Defence

Speech to the Centre for Policy Studies

"The Laeken Declaration of 2001 claimed that EU citizens "want to see Europe more involved in foreign affairs, security and defence". Walking the streets of my constituency, I have never once heard that view expressed to me.

There seems to be an ever ...

Fox: The objectives of a veterans' policy

Speech to a Veterans’ Summit held by the Conservative Party

"It is pleasing to see so many of you here, from such a wide range of organisations, large and small.

Let me start with an imaginary quotation: "Veterans who have served their community are a valued section of that community ...

Fox: Security and Defence – Making sense of the special relationship

Speech to the Heritage Foundation in Washington DC

The Right Foundations

Over the years, all sorts of clever people have smirked and scoffed at the Anglo-American Special Relationship. The phrase was apparently banned at the British Embassy here by a recent ambassador altogether. But no matter: I shall use the ...

Fox: Together we will win

Speech to Conservative Party Conference 2005

"We face a historic choice this week. To return to office, does our Party simply require a makeover or does it require a fresh Conservative agenda?

I think that politics should be about setting out what you believe, arguing your case and persuading others ...

Fox: Mental health – our national shame

Speech to the SANE mental health charity in Oxford

"In recent months, I have spoken frequently about what I have described as a "broken society". It is only natural, as part of that debate, that I should return to the issue of how we deal with mental health problems in ...

Fox: The Broken Society

Speech to the Refuge and the Centre for Social Justice

The Challenge

"A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece for The Observer which talked about the problems of a broken society.

I have always believed that the Conservative Party should never just walk by on the other side, and ...

Fox: Pursuing a Freedom Agenda – A Conservative Blueprint

Speech to the Foreign Press Association

Introduction

"It was the rainy season, and we fled for hours to reach the hiding place in the jungle, because the SPDC and KNLA were fighting. When we got there we were so tired, but too scared to light the fire for cooking or ...

Fox: The European Union - Where Now?

Speech to the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C.

"The events of last week's European summit pose as many questions as they do answers. The key question everyone asks in the UK is whether the proposed Constitution is dead or not. Given the rejection of the Constitution in the ...

Fox: The Government should have the courage to say that the Constitution is dead

Response to Jack Straw’s statement in the House of Commons on the EU Constitution

"What we would like to have seen from the Government today is a little less spin and a little more humility. The idea that the UK achieved all its key objectives in the IGC or ...

Fox: A positive, outward looking and optimistic foreign policy

Queen’s Speech debate on Foreign Affairs and Defence in the House of Commons

"May I begin by saying how delighted I am to be back at the dispatch box again after 18 months in Conservative Central Office? I am disappointed that the Foreign Secretary is not able to be ...

Fox: Let freedom reign

Speech at the think tank, Politeia

"I would like to begin by thanking Sheila for the opportunity to deliver this Spring Address. I apologise for the fact that it is a little late. It should have been delivered on the sixth of April - but at that time, in the wake ...

Fox: We must restore confidence & integrity to British democracy

Speech in Somerset

"One of the great legacies of the United Kingdom is its role as the 'Mother of all Parliaments', a beacon of democracy and fair play. We should be proud of that heritage, and the foundations of democracy that we have helped build in countries around the world ...

Fox: Take that look off your face

Speech at launch of cinema advert

"As a doctor, I don't make diagnoses without the patient's consent.

But I have to say Tony Blair presents quite a case.

We've never had a prime minister quite like him.

So this morning, I'll leave the medical diagnoses to ...

Fox: Time for action

Speech to Conservative Party Spring Conference

"Today, across the whole of our country, people are witnessing the decay of a government that they once trusted but which they feel has betrayed them, a government which promised so much but has achieved so little. It is led by a Prime Minister ...

Fox: Liberty and Authority - A Conservative Equilibrium

The Conservative Policy Forum Swinton Lecture at Conservative Party Conference, Bournemouth

Belief into action

"For seven years, the people of this country have been strung along with promises of action. Promises which they no longer believe, from a Prime Minister they no longer believe.

Tony Blair's decline is, above ...

Fox: People are fed up with talk. They want action

Speech to Conservative Party Conference 2004

"Welcome to Bournemouth to this, our last conference in Opposition.

At this conference, a renewed and reinvigorated party will set out a clear and hopeful alternative for our country - one that promises freedom and security.

And we begin by reclaiming as our party colours ...

Fox: Under Labour, the 'intruder state' is everywhere

Speech to Conservative Party Spring Conference 2004

Who would have believed when we left Blackpool last year that the party would now be enjoying such renewed fortunes. We have 20,000 new members, increased funding, ahead in the polls and winning seats in areas we never imagined to.

The Party ...

Fox: The case for Conservatism

Speech to Politeia

"The last ten years have not been the easiest time to be a Conservative. Yet even in the most difficult times in politics comes the comforting knowledge that there may be a change in political thought and fashion which will bring about the opportunity for recovery.

I ...

Dr Fox: A Fair Deal for Patients

Speech to Conservative Party Conference 2003

"I want to begin today with a little general knowledge test. I'm sure we all remember Labour's 1997 election campaign.

Remember "24 hours to save the NHS"?

Remember how they were going to get rid of hospital waiting lists?

I wonder how ...

Fox: Setting Patients Free

Speech at launch of Conservative Party consultation document on health

Unless there is fundamental and radical reform, the NHS will never produce the quality of care we have a right to expect. And the people who would suffer most as a result would be the very people who rely most ...

Fox: Labour should think again on foundation hospitals

Speech in the House of Commons

There can seldom have been a bill whose importance has been as over-hyped as this one.

I know that everything the PM says must now have messianic overtones but to describe this bill as being of monumental historic importance is quite ludicrous.

We first ...

Fox: The Patient's Passport

Speech to Conservative Spring Conference, outlining Conservative proposals for health

Our proposals need to be seen against the backdrop of one simple, stark and shocking fact. The British people do not enjoy the standard of healthcare we deserve.

During our extensive and detailed analysis of healthcare provision in more than ...

Fox: The Government's bungling approach to the NHS

House of Commons: Queen's Speech debate on Health

WH Auden said that, "propaganda is a monologue which seeks not a response but an echo".

It is propaganda that is the main currency of the Secretary of State and his ministers. Rather than a rational analysis and honest appraisal of ...

Fox: The healthcare we deserve

Speech to Conservative Party Conference 2002

I must start tonight with an apology. What you are about to hear will contain no political trivia or tittle-tattle. No opinion on colleagues past or present, and no diary extracts.

I don't know about you, but frankly, I'm not interested in ...

Fox: Themes for Reform: Public Services, Individual Choice

"When considering where our Party should go next, a good starting point for each of us is to ask ourselves why we entered politics in the first place.

"There are so many reasons why people choose to pursue political careers that generalisations are almost impossible. But if you asked my ...

Fox: Speech to the 2nd Conservative Mental Health summit

MENTAL HEALTH: A NEW AGENDA

The full text of the speech to be given by Dr Liam Fox MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Health, to the 2nd Conservative Mental Health summit on the 25th June 2002, is as follows:

"In the children's story "The Emperor's new clothes ...

Fox: Labour will fail on health

Speech to Conservative Spring Forum 2002

Hardly a day goes by without further evidence coming to light indicating that, under Labour, the NHS is failing. Dirty hospitals with high infection rates for patients. Cancelled operations leading to rising waiting lists. A care home crisis resulting in bed blocking, with frustration ...

Fox: Only Conservatives can revive the health service

In a speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool this afternoon, Dr Liam Fox, the Shadow Health Secretary, said:

"There are three things I want to get clear right at the outset.

"Firstly, it is high time that we started to be honest with the British people when we ...

Liam Fox: Caring properly for older people

At the morning press conference, Shadow Health Secretary Dr Liam Fox outlined the Conservative Party's plans for long term care for the elderly. He said:

"The elderly are one of the groups which has been treated most badly by Labour.

"Before the last Election, Tony Blair said that it ...

Fox: The Health we Deserve

Recent photographs of bodies lying unrefrigerated and piled on top of one another in a Chapel of Rest brought back powerful memories for many people. Images of the winter of discontent reminded us that while much of our national life has changed beyond recognition in the past 30 years, the ...

Fox: Party Conference Speech 2000

At our conference this week voters don't need us to remind them that health has actually got worse under Labour.

They don't need us to remind them that their tax has gone up with nothing to show for it.

They don't need me to remind them about ...