Russian threat to UK: ministers must level with public, says ex-Foreign Office head Peter Ricketts
Peter Ricketts, a former national security adviser, said UK ministers must be honest with the British public about the immediate Russian threat, warning that Kremlin cyber-assaults could hit banking, energy or water systems.
Russian threat to UK: ministers must level with public, says ex-Foreign Office head Peter Ricketts
Peter Ricketts, who once served as national security adviser and advised David Cameron at Downing Street, says ministers need to level with voters about the immediate Russian threat to UK security. His appeal came in the same week the heads of MI5 and the British army raised alarms about the danger posed by Moscow.
Hybrid attacks and a conversation with the public
Ricketts warned of 'hybrid attacks' from Vladimir Putin's forces, saying banking systems, energy or water supplies could be targeted by Kremlin cyber-assaults. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he argued the government has to open a conversation with the public, because Putin is working to undermine morale across European countries.
"Ministers need to be honest with the British public about the immediate threat posed by Russia"
He said such attacks are becoming more reckless and dangerous, and that casualties will eventually follow, demanding both a response and money.
- Banking systems could be hit by Kremlin cyber-assaults
- Energy supplies are among the sectors at risk
- Water supplies have also been named as potential targets
Ricketts called for further investment in resilience for these key sectors.
A week of warnings from MI5 and the army
Ricketts's remarks landed alongside a MI5 russia warning from its director general, Sir Ken McCallum, who said on Tuesday the agency was now devoting more resources to hostile-state threats than it did during the cold war, and called Russia the 'number one aggressor'.
"extreme jeopardy in the world at the moment"
On Friday, chief of the general staff Gen Sir Roly Walker told 700 troops at Catterick garrison in North Yorkshire that politicians would soon need to have a 'frank conversation' about the 'sacrifices' required to prioritise defence. Walker, a former special forces commander, said soldiers would probably need to fight in a war, given the extreme jeopardy in the world at the moment.
Paying for protection
Ricketts said the government should spend more on protecting key UK infrastructure, including energy, transport, air traffic control and defence. Finding the money, he argued, requires an argument with the British people.
"They all need better protection, and that's an argument that needs to be had with the British people"
Trump, sanctions and the limits of British influence
Ricketts also dismissed the idea, floated by Andy Burnham at prime minister's questions, that he wanted to be a 'bridge' between the US and Ukraine: "I don't really go on this bridge business". In Trump's current mood, he added, Britain has no short-term influence over the White House: "I don't think in Trump's current mood there's any influence that Britain can have in the short term".
His scepticism followed a week in which US-Ukraine relations soured:
- Donald Trump waived a number of economic sanctions on Russia and suggested Ukraine needed a new leader
- Trump said pausing the sanctions was in the US 'national interest', despite signing them into law in September
- Last week Trump lifted restrictions on Russian diesel amid spiralling fuel prices in the US
- There are concerns the US has withdrawn intelligence sharing with Ukraine, leaving towns and cities vulnerable to attack
Volodymyr Zelenskyy hit back during an EU summit, saying it was nice to be among 'real leaders'. Ricketts's bottom line on uk national security stands: key sectors all need better protection, and the argument over funding it needs to be had with the British people.
