Failing to give British troops in Afghanistan the equipment they need damages their morale, shadow defence secretary Liam Fox has said.

The Woodspring MP used his keynote speech to the Tory conference yesterday to hit back at Government attacks on him for highlighting the problem. Dr Fox has been highly critical over the lack of resources for troops on the frontline in Helmand province as the fighting has intensified.

Last week, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth used his speech to the Labour conference to accuse Dr Fox of "false claims" that risked damaging the morale of troops and public.

Yesterday Dr Fox waded into the controversy by claiming Labour had created a "defence black hole" that not only affected operations in Afghanistan, but threatened a crisis for years to come. Dr Fox said: "When I raise legitimate concerns in my role as shadow defence secretary, I am not harming morale – not having the equipment when you need it – that is what harms morale."