 Tony Blair visited RAF Lyneham during the recent Iraq conflict |
An RAF base which was threatened with closure, then handed a lifeline during the Iraq conflict, now looks certain to close. The prime minister visited RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire during the recent war and praised staff for their efforts.
The Ministry of Defence had made public its original plan to close the base and transfer the entire transport fleet to RAF Brize Norton in nearby Oxfordshire.
Now the local MP has expressed his pessimism over the future of the base.
James Gray, Conservative MP for North Wiltshire said: "I went along to the Classics on the Wing concert at Lyneham the other day.
"One or two senior officers there seemed to me to be indicating that the news was not good, indicating there was bad news to come."
Sam Wright, a former Hercules pilot who lives next door to the base said: "The rumours are it will close."
"It's a massive exercise here. I think at the last count there were 750 quarters here, plus servicemen that bought their houses here."
A formal decision is expected to be made during July.
One-Minute World News 
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