Geoff Hoon "i Will not " resign

:mad:This "goverment" is a Frigging Joke

Our Troops have been betrayed by  the very goverment that sent them over to Iraq.

Hoon \'sorry\' over soldier\'s death

The defence secretary says he is "extremely sorry" a soldier killed in Iraq lacked the proper body armour - but has resisted calls to resign.

Sgt Roberts, 33, was told to hand back his flak jacket while serving with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, because there were not enough to go round.
Days later, on 24 March last year, he was shot dead trying to quell a riot.

His widow Samantha has called for Mr Hoon to quit saying he has "blood on his hands".
Pressure has been mounting on the defence secretary since Mrs Roberts released an audio diary made by her husband in which he described his worries about being sent into battle without proper equipment.

Mr Hoon has said he hopes to hold a further meeting with Mrs Roberts early next week.
He told BBC Radio Five Live: "Obviously, as I have said to Mrs Roberts before, I am extremely sorry that Sgt Roberts died. I am extremely sorry that the families of another 55 men are mourning their losses as a result of operations in Iraq.

"I am also extremely sorry that Sgt Roberts did not have the enhanced body armour. It is something ministers wanted to happen and indeed ministers ensured that 36,000 sets of body armour body armour were sent to theatre for that purpose."
Blame?

Asked about the calls for his resignation, Mr Hoon urged people not to pre-judge the inquiry into Sgt Roberts death.

He was accountable to Parliament for everything that happened in the Ministry of Defence.
But he added: "It is important that it is a military judgement as to whether or not soldiers are ready for battle."

In the audio diary to his wife, Sgt Roberts, from Shipley, West Yorkshire, called supplies to soldiers "a joke" and the shortages "disgraceful".

Mrs Roberts claimed he had been ordered to hand his armour back so it could be given to infantrymen judged to be more at risk.

A preliminary MoD report into the death of her husband indicated armour could have saved his life.

Mrs Roberts also claims the MoD has said her husband was killed by so-called "friendly fire".
She wants Mr Hoon to resign and told Five Live: "He does have blood on his hands, certainly Steve\'s blood."
Conservative leader Michael Howard said the affair amounted to a "dereliction of duty" by the government and urged Mr Hoon to step down.

Tony Blair has expressed his sympathy and condolences for Mrs Roberts and said he "totally" understood her concerns.
Fact of war?

BBC defence correspondent Paul Adams said military personnel to whom he had spoken thought the case "desperately sad" but not as "scandalous" as some had said.
They accepted such shortages were a fact of military life.

A recent National Audit Office report concluded there had been problems with the supply of vital equipment but also praised the scale and speed of the military operation in Iraq.
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell said he did not like "ritual" resignation calls.
But he told BBC Radio 4\'s Today programme there was a "moral obligation" on all politicians to ensure troops had personal protection kit.

The National Gulf Veterans and Families Association backed calls for Mr Hoon\'s resignation.

A spokesman said: "We have ministers of defence who are not accountable to anyone ... they treat their employees in a gross and crass manner with the attitude of \'not me guv\'."

Hoon should not only Resign but he should be charged with CRIMINAL negligence :rpissed: