It's the big question here at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

As the satirical magazine Private Eye might say, the world of politics was rocked last week by the bombshell that The Sun newspaper has withdrawn its support from the Labour Party and is now backing Tory leader David Cameron to be the next Prime Minister.

Are we prepared to funds commitments we ask of our Armed Forces? There isn't plenty of money for cuts in defence. This was the blunt message from Ben Wallace MP at a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference. He's a man who knows whereof he speaks - former infanteer, formerly in the defence industry, now a younger senior figure in the Party.

He rejects "moving spending to the right" and cobbling together cuts in the putative Strategic Defence Review to be held by the next Government. It's a common misconception that defence procurement is in a muddle. It takes time to develop technology. Off the shelf , buying from non UK industry, that choice will have a big impact not just now but in the future. But he is sure that procurement must be led by the military and their needs to achieve aims defined by politicians.