‘Hoon won’t resign over death of soldier’

THE British Government yesterday dismissed calls for Geoff Hoon to quit as Defence Secretary over the death of a soldier shot after being ordered to hand back his body armour.

Samantha Roberts, the wife of Sergeant Steve Roberts who was shot dead in an attack by Iraqi dissidents on March 24, has said Mr Hoon should resign for the good of the country.

She said a diary of audio tapes recorded by her husband during the Iraq war showed how concerned he was at the lack of equipment.

In the tapes, given to Mrs Roberts on the day of her husband’s funeral, Sgt Roberts tells how equipment which had been promised to troops had not arrived.

Later, the soldier, who was 33 and from Bradford, describes the situation as a “joke”.

Mrs Roberts said: “It’s only by the luck of the gods that more men have not died through a lack of equipment.

“It’s for the benefit of the country for him to go.”

Shadow Defence Secretary Nicholas Soames renewed his calls for Mr Hoon to quit.

But a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said yesterday that Mr Hoon had addressed the resignation question during a debate in the Commons earlier this week.

The spokesman said: “I don’t think he made any indication of a desire to resign. He is the Secretary of State and he was answering, and will continue to answer, as Secretary of State.”

He added: “We’re trying to keep Mrs Roberts abreast of developments and he is willing to talk to her again if she feels it would be helpful.”

The spokesman stressed that the Royal Military Police investigation into Sgt Roberts’s death was still ongoing.