In Barry’s first appearance in the Public Accounts Committee the witnesses were:
Sir Stephen Lovegrove, (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence); Air Marshal Richard Knighton CB, (SRO Carrier Enabled Power Projection, Ministry of Defence); Charlie Pate, (Director General Finance,, Ministry of Defence); Sir Simon Bollom, Chief Executive Officer, (Defence Equipment Services, Ministry of Defence)
Barry started by asking Mr Pate whether the basic cost of the jets has come down. Barry then pointed out that given the relatively expensive capability and compatibility upgrades were to those jets, was it not a question of semantics to say the cost has come down.
Barry then went on to question Sir Stephen Lovegrove over whether there had been a change in policy since the 2015 announcement that stated the '“intention to buy 138 Lightning II jets, which will sustain Carrier Strike operations to the 2060s”.
You can watch the full exchange below