I am shocked

Well in fact I have rarely been less shocked that when I read this headline in The Sunday Times - "Des Browne misled MPs on Nimrod".

Wow, what a shock - go read the article but here is the meat:

"DES BROWNE, the defence secretary, appears to have misled MPs when he told them an independent report had ruled that the RAF's Nimrod aircraft were safe to fly...

Briefing MPs on the results of the board of inquiry into the loss of the aircraft, Browne insisted the RAF's fleet of Nimrod aircraft were now safe.

"QinetiQ has conducted an independent investigation into the fuel system and confirmed that, in light of the measures taken since the crash, the fuel system is safe to operate," said Browne.

Under the MoD's own rules, for an aircraft to be safe the risk must have been "reduced to a level that is Alarp [as low as reasonably practicable] and broadly acceptable or tolerable".

The QinetiQ report said that only half this condition was in place — while the risk associated with the aircraft was tolerable, "the level of risk present to the fuel system is not Alarp"."