Reopen mothballed RAF stations, says MP

A Lincolnshire MP says the county's mothballed RAF stations should be brought back into use in response to rising threats.

Sir Edward Leigh, MP for Gainsborough, said the UK needed a "whole new gearing up of our efforts" similar to that seen before World War Two.

Leigh addressed the House of Commons on Monday about the need to increase defence spending after Nato chief Mark Rutte warned Russia could attack a country within the Western military alliance within the next five years.

The MP added: "Our efforts are still puny compared to when there was last a major threat in the 1930s."

Earlier this month, Russian president Vladimir Putin accused European countries of hindering US efforts to bring peace in Ukraine.

He said: "We are not planning to go to war with Europe. But if Europe wants to, and starts, we are ready right now."

Leigh believes the government should reopen former stations to help prepare the UK.

One of the county's best-known former stations is in Scampton, near Lincoln. The former home of The Dambusters squadron, which targeted German dams in World War Two, closed in 2023, with the Red Arrows relocating to RAF Waddington, also in Lincolnshire.

There are a number of other former bases across Lincolnshire, known as Bomber County because of its rich wartime history.

Leigh asked Defence Secretary John Healey if he was committed to "gearing up of our efforts" by recommissioning former wartime RAF bases.

Many of the Lincolnshire bases that were active during World War Two and the Cold War have been converted to business use, housing, or agriculture, states LDRS.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Healey did not respond to questions about specific bases.

Leigh said: "In 1933, we were spending just 2.2% of GDP [a measure of the size and health of a country's economy] on defence. By 1938, we were spending a massive 7%."

Healey said the government was ramping up military spending.

"I am proud of this government's commitment to defence – an extra £5bn into defence in the first year," he said.

"Our ambition is to reach 3% [of GDP on defence] by next parliament, and we have signed up with Nato allies to reach 5% by 2035."

The sale of former RAF Scampton is expected to be completed around mid-2026.

West Lindsey District Council and developer Scampton Holdings Ltd have proposed a huge regeneration of the site, with plans to use the 800-acre location for aviation, heritage, tourism, education and research.

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look Northor tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices