Mike Penning is to visit British troops in Iraq next weekend.

Commenting on his trip Mike said:

"No matter whether you felt that the war in Iraq was justified, thousands of British troops are thousands of miles away from their family and loved ones, serving us in one of the most dangerous parts of the world.

When I was asked if I would like to visit our servicemen and women serving in and around Basra and Baghdad, I immediately accepted, having served in the Army myself I fully understand how must it means to our troops when they can see and hear for themselves how proud we are of them and that we care that they are getting everything they need to make their job safer and as comfortable as possible.

This is my second trip to the gulf, I was lucky enough to have been in Kuwait visiting our troops a few days before they crossed the border into Iraq and I am looking forward to seeing for myself the situation our troops are facing on the ground.

I am aware that there are local servicemen and women serving in Iraq and hope to meet as many as possible during my short visit"