Conservative peer Lord Shaun Bailey has thrown his weight behind Labour’s support for Ukraine, insisting Britain must not back down in the face of mounting Russian threats.
Speaking on GB News, Bailey declared it was “way too late now to back out” of supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Tensions are escalating between the UK and Russia following President Vladimir Putin’s warning, as he claimed he is “entitled to target military facilities of countries supplying weapons to Ukraine”.
Russia deployed a new ballistic missile in Ukraine, with Putin claiming it was in response to UK and US-supplied weapons being used against Russian territory.
Lord Shaun Bailey has backed Labour’s support for Ukraine as tensions with Russia escalate
Reuters / GB News
In a televised address, Putin warned: “We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities.”
Bailey emphasised the UK’s long-standing commitment to Ukraine’s defence, stating: “The minute we supported Ukraine, we were in that war.”
“It’s got nothing to do with taxpayers money, it’s about our freedoms, our safety, some things are worth paying for,” he told GB News.
The Conservative peer dismissed concerns about the costs of supporting Ukraine, warning that Putin and his allies must be confronted now.
“If you are in a fight and you relinquish to the threats of the other guy, you’re done,” Bailey said.
He stressed that Putin and “the North Koreas of this world” needed to be stopped before they moved further into Europe.
Bailey then addressed concerns about nuclear deterrence, questioning: “Why have we bothered with a nuclear deterrent? Why does America have one?”
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He warned against yielding to nuclear threats, stating: “If you let someone continually bully you because they have a nuclear deterrent, they’ll turn up on your doorstep.”
The Conservative peer emphasised that any retreat now would hand victory to Putin.
“If we were going to relent, we should have done it earlier, not now,” Bailey said, reinforcing his message that Britain must maintain its resolve in supporting Ukraine.
US officials identified it as an experimental missile based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh system, with a range far exceeding the 250-300km reach of Western-supplied weapons.
Lord Bailey said the ‘minute the UK supported Ukraine, we were in that war’
GB News
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has clarified Britain’s position, stating: “No, we’re not at war, but Ukraine certainly is.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Bristol, he emphasised that Ukraine has faced “1,000 days of aggression from Russia” and reiterated that “we cannot allow Putin to win this war.”
Defence minister Maria Eagle insisted the UK would not be deterred by Putin’s “irresponsible rhetoric.”
“We can’t allow ourselves to be put off from supporting Ukraine, and we won’t be,” Eagle said while opening a Rolls-Royce Submarines office in Glasgow.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added that Moscow’s “aggressive, blustering tone” would continue but remained “completely unacceptable.”