Scots junior minister quits government over Afghanistan policy

A parliamentary aide to the defence secretary has resigned in protest to Labour’s strategy in Afghanistan.

Eric Joyce, MP for Falkirk, quit this month following the announcement of two more British deaths in combat. The former private secretary to the secretary of defence, said that "the public will not accept for much longer that our losses can be justified by simply referring to the risk of greater terrorism."

His resignation letter was highly critical of Gordon Brown’s approach to the war in Afghanistan. He wrote that now is "a critical time for Labour and defence" and that he intended to contribute by "helping, as a regular back-bencher, to show that Labour remains sound on matters of defence".

Britain’s disproportionate military burden in comparison to other NATO members was another cause for concern voiced by the MP. In his letter, Joyce bluntly states that "for many, Britain fights; Germany pays; France calculates; Italy avoids".

Whilst also suggesting that the United States should give Britain "a greater geopolitical return" for our contributions, the MP calls for a "more direct" and "time-limited" approach to British troop involvement in Afghanistan.

Despite Joyce’s relatively minor role in Westminster, his departure is made more noteworthy by his previous political track record. The MP’s unwavering loyalty to the Labour movement has often been criticised, leading Guardian columnist Marina Hyde to write in 2004 that "it would be fair to say Eric is not widely regarded as a treasure by anyone other than the government he so slavishly supports".

Joyce’s previous service as both a private in the Black Watch and a Major in the Royal Army Education Corps makes him one of the few MPs with military experience.

Despite some controversial disagreements with the army, the Scottish MP has remained committed to the well being of its service men and women. In a recent Daily Telegraph article on the compensation debate, Joyce was quoted calling the MoD’s appeal against a compensation claim by wounded soldiers "politically bonkers" and "profoundly wrong".

His former boss, Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth, said in response to the resignation that Joyce is "entitled to his opinion and while we thank him for his service as a junior parliamentary aide, it is vital that we have a leadership team that is fully committed to our mission in Afghanistan".

Gordon Brown expressed a similar sentiment in a letter to Joyce, and tackled many of the issues highlighted by the Scottish MP in a speech on the day following the resignation.

Brown maintained that "Each time I have to ask myself if we can justify sending our young men and women to fight for this cause... And my answer has always been yes".