Tories propose new emergency force

The Conservative security spokesman has recommended a series of new policy measures, including a new force to deal with national emergencies.

Former intelligence chief Dame Pauline Neville-Jones published the findings of her national and international security policy group at an event at the Chatham House think tank on Thursday, where she was joined by Tory leader David Cameron.

The approximately 2,000-strong emergencies force would be equipped to cope with disasters such as terrorist attacks and the widespread flooding that has damaged parts of the country in recent weeks.

The proposals also included plans for a new border police force, something the prime minister has already pledged to move towards.

And the report suggested increasing the size of the Army to cope with overstretch and setting up a national security council of experts to advise on policy.

It said the government had damaged the UK's standing abroad by "naively underestimating the challenge of state-building in hostile environments" such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dame Pauline called for a four-yearly defence review to ensure that military capabilities match up to missions.

And she argued for civil contingency measures to be improved after "notable shortcomings" were shown up by the July 7 attacks on London in 2005.

"Resilience to disruption and attack of the critical infrastructure of the country is inadequate and resources need to be devoted to developing capability outside London," the report said.

It also said ministers had treated minorities as members of groups rather than individual citizens, damaging social cohesion and undermined security

Launching her report Dame Pauline said: "There have been some bad mistakes from this government; we need a new beginning.

"Unless things change Britain's security will continue to be second best. We have seen poor implementation of policy and a lack of coherent, strategic vision.

"We need a strategy combining foreign policy, defence policy, internal security and social cohesion. And we need efficient mechanisms for bringing that about."

Cameron said he would consider the findings seriously.

"This report is a major contribution to thinking about our nation's future," he claimed.

"It puts Britain's security first, arguing that the safety of Britain should drive foreign policy, defence policy, security policy and social cohesion.

"And it recommends practical steps to help us bring about that change in direction. There is no greater responsibility for a government than the nation's security: I can guarantee that I will put Britain’s security first."

The study came after the announcement of the government's own anti-terror measures on Wednesday, including support for a "highly visible, uniformed presence" at domestic ports and airports.

Cameron said he was pleased it was one of a number of Conservative security policies - also including the use of intercept evidence in court, post-charge questioning of terror suspects and a national security council - which were now being implemented by the government.

But while Gordon Brown told MPs that he hoped the Tories would be prepared to form a cross-party consensus on the issue, he also challenged the Tories to support identity cards, which Dame Pauline has done in the past.

Since she was asked to conduct the review Dame Pauline has been promoted to the shadow cabinet as security spokesman, with a seat in the House of Lords.

However her findings will not automatically official party policy but form recommendations for the next Conservative manifesto.

Speaking earlier about the flooding, Dame Pauline told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the UK was "quite, quite ill-provided for when it comes to a big crisis of this kind".

She added: "If you actually look at how the Army is structured, or indeed any of our defence forces, when it comes to the UK, there's nothing dedicated to... organisation of the kind of help which the military have been providing this week.

"It's all on what's called a contingent basis. That's to say if they're available, they're available.

"But there's nothing guaranteed about it. What we feel is there needs to be a small force, and it only needs to be a small force, which is actually readily available, properly trained and has a command centre."

However defence minister Bob Ainsworth said the armed forces had "done everything we were asked to do" to deal with flooding.

"It is completely wrong and totally unfair to infer that somehow we didn't do what we were asked to," he said.

"We had 200 people actively employed assisting, another 150 on standby, helicopters involved, helicopters on standby, trucks distributing water.

"I would challenge Dame Pauline Neville-Jones or anybody else to tell us when, in the last 10 years, the armed forces have been asked to do something at home that they've been unable to do."