Buy jets now - sell if vote passes

F35 Jet (c) Simon Hurry Pexels

The government needs to finalize the purchase of the US fighter jet, the F35, as soon as possible otherwise the price will soar as many other countries are now pledging to boost their defence spending and are likely to be buying more fighters.

But the problem is an initiative which is collecting signatures in an effort to stop the purchase.

There have been calls to stop the effort. The defence minister, Viola Amherd, is calling for campaigners to withdraw the initiative. 

In the meantime, one national MP, Mauro Tuena, says the government should sign the contract for the planes now – securing the price – but then sell the planes if the subsequent vote passes. 

He says there’s likely to be a big demand for the jets and there’ll be no issues of selling them on if necessary. 

The idea is gaining support from other MPs. 

More from Bitesize News

  • Geneva could foot the G7 bill

    Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.

  • US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

    Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.

  • French singer banned by Paleo

    The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

  • Cars going uninspected

    The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.

  • War may lead to rent rises

    Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.

  • Not a heatwave, yet

    Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play