Britain said on Monday that it would not accept unlawful interference with innocent passage at sea, and that its navy would uphold international law, in a written statement to parliament following a warship confrontation with Russia.
| UPDATED: 21:36, Tue, Mar 16, 2021
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Dominic Raab explained why the UK is labelling Russia as an “active threat” after Prime Minister Boris Johnson laid out the Integrated Review on UK security and defence. While China poses a “systematic challenge”, Mr Raab explained Russia’s use of nerve agents and cyberattacks directed towards the UK means the country faces challenges to its defence. The Tory frontbencher discussed the UK defence review which included raising the nuclear weapon stockpile cap and putting in place plans to make the UK a tech and science superpower by the
| UPDATED: 14:13, Tue, Mar 16, 2021
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Sir Michael has identified the Chinese Communist Party as a threat we absolutely need to keep on our guard against. He listed the crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong and China s treatment of the Uighurs as examples of how the CCP threaten western values. The former Defence Secretary added that the UK Government faced a challenge of fostering closer ties economic ties with the rising super-power while being sure to push back when Beijing crossed the line.
Ahead of its publication, Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Defence Select Committee, has issued a warning to the government about the dangers of neglecting existing military capabilities.
He warned the Government must upgrade its traditional forces and support the army or the UK could be more vulnerable from attack.
He told Sky news: We drop our guard on the conventional side at our peril.
His stark message comes as a report by the Commons Defence Committee suggested the British Army s ageing tanks and armoured vehicles are likely to be outgunned in any conflict with Russian forces.
The Government is set to publish a defence review next week (Image: GETTY)
UK MPs call on government to stamp out China, Russia from defence industry
Investment in the defence supply chain from all countries that fall outside of an approved list, including Russia and China, must be barred, chair of the House of Commons defence subcommittee Richard Drax has said.
Representative image: Reuters
The Members of Parliament (MPs) in the United Kingdom have called on the government to stamp out Chinese and Russian investment in the defence supply chain.
After a warning, a parliamentary inquiry into foreign involvement in the UK defence supply chain was conducted, which concluded that tougher measures were needed to protect companies from “hostile foreign ownership,” reported The Financial Times.