Geoff Hoon

Like many who have held the office before him Hoon has been forced to make some difficult defence procurement decisions. The MoD is committed to competitive procurement and operates perhaps the most open defence procurement process in the world. The adherence to this policy has caused significant friction between the MoD and its largest supplier, BAE Systems. Hoon, and the MoD as a whole have refused the company's arguments that it should be treated as a "national champion." BAE have been accused of demanding contracts, e.g the Type 45 destroyers. Recent events have demonstrated that the MoD will not entertain such practices, following the delays to the BAe Nimrod maritime patrol jet and Astute class submarine projects BAE was force to write off £750m against the contracts.

Comment on Geoff Hoon's public persona has varied wildly from that of non-descript minister (the label Geoff Who? was applied by many national newspapers and an unflattering nickname is "Buff"), to a capable Defence Secretary and a "safe pair of hands" during and shortly after the 2003 Iraq War, to adjectives such as "slippery" and "dishonest" during the Dr. David Kelly Affair. He was widely expected to resign on the publication of the resulting Hutton Report. Whilst many were not surprised by the absence of any claim of wrong-doing on Tony Blair's behalf there was widespread disbelief that both Hoon and his permanent Secretary, Sir Kevin Tebbit, were also completely cleared of any impropriety. Hutton concluded that there was no "underhand" strategy in the naming of Kelly but that the Ministry of Defence failed to inform and advise him of the effects his name entering the public domain.

In an interview in April, 2004 Geoff Hoon said that more could have been done to help David Kelly, who killed himself after being named as the source of Andrew Gilligan's controversial Today programme report.

On July 21 2004 Hoon announced major changes to the British armed forces. This review, Future Capabilites, is an extension of the White Paper Delivering Security in a Changing World which was published in December 2003. Although wide ranging highlights include;

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