MoD head urged to quit on Chinook

The Chinooks were meant to be in service in 1998

The Ministry of Defence's most senior civil servant has been urged to resign by a senior MP over "blunders" in buying helicopters.

Sir Kevin Tebbit was lambasted by the Public Accounts committee about why eight new helicopters worth £259m were grounded due to procurement problems.

Labour backbencher Alan Williams asked him on Monday: "Don't you think you should consider your position?"

Sir Kevin said the way new kit was ordered had now been improved.

The Chinook helicopters were grounded because they could be a risk to fly in cloudy weather because the software which enabled them to do this could not be properly tested.

Chinooks are used for ferrying troops, artillery and supplies to and from the battlefield. The helicopters were due to be back in service in 1998.

'Fiasco'

The committee also criticised the MoD over the lack of trained pilots which had grounded Apache helicopters and the equipment shortage which meant 24, not 33, Lynx helicopters were sent to Iraq.

Sir Kevin said the problems should not be compared as they were all very different.

He said nobody had known the next military operation would be in Iraq and he suggested people should be pleased the Apaches were now in Iraq.

There is nothing I can do to put it right overnight Sir Kevin Tebbit

At the committee questions session, Mr Williams branded the problems a "fiasco" and "downright absolute incompetence".

"You sound like British Rail saying it is the wrong kind of snow," he said. "The British Army is supposed to be able to operate anywhere in the world it is needed.

"I joined this committee in 1990 and I thought by now, I'd seen every variation of fiasco it's possible to see, and then this report landed on my desk."

Fellow backbencher Gerry Steinberg said the mistakes had undermined the UK's ability to act in Iraq.

He said: "You balls up the Apaches, you also messed up the Chinooks, you also messed up the Lynx. Three acquisitions messed up.

"Every time you come to us you tell us it will not happen again but it does happen again."

Sir Kevin said he was sorry for the problems but added: "There is nothing I can do to put it right overnight."

He said the Chinook's problems had led to difficulties in training in the UK, but had not affected operations in Iraq.