Latest news with #DefenceSelectCommittee
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Warning to UK households to 'stockpile tins of food' and six other items now
The country is facing an increased threat of 'grey zone attacks' and residents need to prepare for it Households should start stockpiling tins of food and other items as soon as possible in order to be prepared for attacks which could affect infrastructure, food supplies and energy. And a former defence minister has called on people to 'wake up and start preparing' now. Former MP, Tobias Ellwood, who chaired the Defence Select Committee from 2020 to 2023, said that the likelihood of a 'grey zone' attack is a one of the 'real world scenarios we must seriously consider'. He urged householders to be ready for all eventualities including power cuts, internet outages and drone attacks. Ellwood said that people need to start stockpiling non-perishable tins of food alongside drinking water, iodine tablets and radios. Writing in PoliticsHome he said: "What if your phone buzzed with a national emergency alert warning of a swarm drone attack en route to your city – where would you go? How would you respond? 'Britain is now facing a surge in grey-zone warfare – deniable, covert attacks aimed at weakening our economy, undermining our infrastructure, and sowing confusion and panic. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "Russia 's so-called shadow fleet is already mapping the UK's undersea cable networks – those vital arteries that deliver our electricity, gas and data. Autonomous underwater vehicles are criss-crossing the seabed, gathering intelligence. 'This isn't speculation – Russia's ambassador to the UK recently acknowledged that sensors had been placed in British waters, after several devices washed ashore. The Royal Navy is responding, ramping up its ability to detect threats and developing its own unmanned underwater vehicles. But this fight doesn't begin and end with the military," reports The Express. He urged people to get themselves ready by having these seven key items to hand: • Clean water (at least 100 litres) • Non-perishable food (such as tinned food and food that can be eaten cold) • Candles and a working torch • A battery-powered radio • Iodine tablets in case of nuclear fallout • Cash • A basic first aid kit The UK's Prepare website urges households to have a set of emergency supplies at home, including batteries, power banks, radios, bottled water and tinned food. The UK Government advice says: 'Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world. They can be caused by severe weather or other natural hazards, by deliberate actions, or as a result of accidents or infrastructure failure. "They can be events that happen quickly and are over in a few hours, or they can develop and continue over the course of several days, months, or sometimes even longer. 'Put together an emergency kit of items at home. This could include: Non-perishable food that doesn't need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don't forget food for pets.' It recommends that households slowly build up supplies over time, rather than rush out and grab the items in one go, adding: 'Rather than buying all the items at once, you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time."
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mercurial America is preparing to bleed Britain dry
It is often said that if you are troubled by what people say, you should just imagine what they are thinking. The publication of a messaging app group chat of senior US politicians discussing their plans to bomb Yemen demonstrates quite clearly that the Trump administration doesn't care about European security. It also shows implicitly – although they may not realise this – that they don't see the United States as the world's leading superpower at all. Gloating over the fact that they 'loathe' the 'freeloading Europeans', and seeing them trying to work out how to extort money from Europe for US security operations in the Red Sea, the ignorance and stupidity of the current Trump administration is laid bare for all to see – quite apart from the desperately amateur sharing of classified operational plans over a messaging app. At the time of the British Empire's pinnacle, our economy and global power rested primarily upon British naval power enforcing freedom of navigation on the high seas for all. This – coupled with free trade – made us the most powerful Empire the world had ever seen. By pulling back from policing the high seas, the US is pulling back from her hegemonic role. This not only undermines her own power; it also creates a vacuum which endangers the safety of Europe and the UK. The decision to strike Houthi targets in order to help keep the Red Sea clear, whilst also viewing this task as a loathsome burden, shows clearly the contradiction between wanting power and knowing how to exercise it. So much for 'Make America Great Again'. Economic extortion, the kind we have seen discussed in the now-infamous group chat, resembles the actions of a mob boss rather than a global power. While it's true that these words came from vice-president JD Vance instead of Trump himself, it's also true that the vice-president represents the future of Maga and is tipped to be the 2028 presidential favourite. This problem is not going away. The Government must get serious about UK and European security, and it must start by building up our hard military power; only through being strong can we be secure. The Prime Minister must do what the Liberal Democrats have been calling for: increasing our defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP as a minimum and engaging in cross-party talks to come to a shared agreement on how we fund that increase; and accepting that part of that funding increase must go towards an Army that builds itself up to a personnel of 100,000 once again. We should also accept that the US is an unreliable ally when it comes to our defence and security, and we must work with our European allies to deliver the collective defence of Europe – without the United States. This is a project that the UK – as a nuclear power and one of Europe's two great military powers – should be leading on. Mike Martin MP is the Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells and a Member of the Defence Select Committee Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
