British troops heading home after six months get held up in Estonia... after their plane is handed over to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace
Hundreds of British troops heading home after six months in Estonia were delayed – when their plane was handed over to the Defence Secretary.
Ben Wallace was scheduled to fly to the Middle East this week but his £150million RAF Voyager air transporter broke down.
He was then given a plane meant to fly 200 Fusiliers to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire after their peace-keeping tour of Estonia.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace arrives to attend a Cabinet Meeting in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Central London, Britain, 01 September 2020
It meant that the troops got home on Tuesday, a day later than planned, with relatives furious at the delay.
Mr Wallace was not made aware of the original plans for the plane and defence sources said he would have prioritised the troops had he known.
A military source said: ‘He is livid this decision was made on his behalf and he would never have done this on purpose.’
The unnamed partner of one soldier said she was heartbroken by the 28-hour delay.
She said: ‘The Defence Secretary’s flight broke down in Estonia and he took their flight because he needed a private plane. They’re angry and upset. No one can believe it.
'I have a baby who hasn’t seen its dad in six months.
Pictured: A February 2020 file photo shows a plane at RAF Brize Norton as medical staff come aboard
'I’m sure other people have children who thought their dads were coming home. It’s so selfish.’
The RAF said another plane had since returned the remaining troops and that the Defence Secretary was not aware of the other taskings.
An RAF spokesman said: ‘On Monday a technical fault with an RAF aircraft regretfully delayed the return of some UK service personnel from operations in Estonia.
‘The prioritisation of aircraft is an operational level decision and the Secretary of State was not made aware of other taskings. Another plane has since returned the remaining troops.’