Outlining a response to nuclear warfare is a ‘political call’ says Tobias Ellwood

“This is not an operational decision, but a political call. We have a duty to do all we can to deter Putin from going nuclear”, says Tobias Ellwood. He believes that the UK need to be prepared for nuclear war, regardless of how high or low the threat is, and that outlining a plan would act as a deterrent to Putin.

Ellwood’s urgent question asked the Minister of Defence, Alec Shelbrooke to give a statement on the UK’s plans to deter and/or respond to Putin’s possible use of nuclear weapons.

Shelbrooke responded by saying that “President Putin’s comments on nuclear were irresponsible. No other countries are talking about nuclear use. We do not see this as nuclear crisis”

Ellwood disagreed with this statement, and urged the Minister to “state now” what the UK’s conventional response would be to the scenario, saying that this clarity “could be the deterrent that helps prevent such hostile actions from taking place”.

“Russia must know and fear the military consequences of daring to resort to nuclear weapons”, he added.

Iain Duncan Smith, MP for Chingford and Woodford Green adopted the notion that the threat of nuclear war was indeed just a threat, and an “attempt from Putin to split the alliance”. He said that the important thing to do is make sure that NATO remain united and in solidarity.