THE war in Ukraine could “escalate in a much more dangerous way” as Britain “underestimates” the threat of Vladimir Putin using nuclear weapons, a Tory MP has claimed.
Bob Seely told GB News that the likelihood of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons is “higher than we think”.
Talking to Camilla Tominey, Seely said that although Putin “probably won’t” carry out a nuclear strike in fear of losing support from China and India, the Russian president “always escalates out of a crisis”.
“For me, this could escalate in a much more dangerous way, whether it’s attacking western pipelines or severing the internet cables or the five interconnecters, the electricity supply lines between us and Europe,” he said.
Tominey asked: “Do you think that’s a really credible threat?”
Seely, who has served in the UK armed forces, replied: “For sure, yes I do. And I also think we underestimate the potential for Russians to use tactical nuclear weapons.
“I did a study for the Heritage Institute a few months ago and there was a recent study put out by a retired US general who said actually the likelihood of using this is higher than we think.
“It is horrifying. But on the balance of probabilities, the Russians probably won’t do it because the Chinese and the Indians would effectively withdraw their support significantly but Putin always escalates out of a crisis, how is he going to escalate out of this crisis?
“Apart from another round of immobilisation and more artillery and more strikes on Kyiv and other Ukraine cities – which isn’t working.”
The MP for the Isle of Wight said if undersea cables – which carry gas, electricity and internet to the UK – are cut it will be “really difficult” to pinpoint whether Russia carried out the attack.
He added: “There are 70 communication cables between us, Europe and North America and elsewhere in the world.
“There are three gas supply lines, one from Norway which is a critical one and there are five electricity connections. If these are sabotaged and the idea that we’re going to know it’s the Russians who have done it is going to be really difficult.
“You cannot go to war, you cannot say that we would have a military response to this, without being so certain and sure that it was the Russians.
“And you can suspect it but unless you’ve got that proof, no government is going to take military action or decisive action against the Russians should our supply lines be cut.”
The MP also claimed too much defence spending is going on kit that “doesn’t work”.
He added: “It’s not a question about how much money because you can spend that money very badly as we know on procurement, where it’s still a national scandal.
“Some of our kit is billions over budget and still doesn’t work.”
