A Parliamentary candidate is joining a fight to stop 200 Royal Marines posts being lost.

Simon Dodd, the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Dover and Deal area in June’s general election, is flagging up his party’s campaign against this.

It was launched on Monday and is spearheaded by the party’s former leader Lord Ashdown, an ex-Marine himself.

Mr Dodd said: “I fully support the Lib Dem commitment to the armed forces and in particular Paddy Ashdown’s petition to save the Royal Marines.

“Dover and Deal are proud of their long history of supporting the armed services.

“It is nearly 27 years since an IRA bomb killed 11 Royal Marine bandsmen and injured 22.
“We will not forget the sacrifice they made.”

On the same day, the party announced a manifesto commitment to Nato’s 2% defence spending target.

Lord Ashdown said: “In an unpredictable age, we need forces that are fast, flexible and mobile.

“That’s what the Royal Marines do at a world-class level.

“But the government announced damaging cuts of 200 marines, with no assurance that there won’t be more cuts in the future.

“The Marines have carried the greatest burden in the defence of our country over the last decade.

“They have fought in more theatres and won more battles than any other British unit.

“They are also the crucial manpower pool from which we draw many of our special forces. We need them as never before.”

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: “In an uncertain and volatile world, it’s our armed forces that keep us safe and allow us to play our part in creating a more stable international community.

“So our party is proud to commit to Nato’s defence spending target.”

The Ministry of Defence did not want to comment directly on the Lib Dem campaign in the run-up to the general election. But it referred to its announcement on the plan on April 11.

Then it said that none of the 200 Marines would be made redundant as they would be redeployed to other parts of the Royal Navy.

The MoD said about half of the affected Marines were at present in back-room roles such as drivers and administrative staff.

They will be replaced by reservists and civilians.

The other half will be part of a special maritime operations unit with roles such as countering piracy and protecting trade routes.

The Royal Marines were a much-loved and fully integral part of Deal until the 1990s.

The Royal Marines School of Music at Canada Road, Deal, closed in March 1996 despite a hard-fought local campaign to save it.

The Marines return to Deal every second Sunday of July to play their Marines on the Green concert.

The School’s Walmer Barracks was bombed by the IRA on Friday, September 22, 1989.

Former Marine Lord Ashdown was leader of the Liberal Democrat party from 1988 to 1999.

The Liberal Democrats’ petition can be found at saveroyalmarines.org.