THE chair of the House of Commons defence committee has criticised Nato for not doing more to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian military aggression.
Tobais Ellwood told Tom Harwood in an exclusive interview on GB News: “We’ve gained confidence with getting better supporting Ukraine, but it’s coming very, very late in the day, and let’s recognise we still see Nato sitting on its hands.
“There’s a fire in Ukraine, and we won’t put it out. My concern is that fire will spread beyond Ukraine and we really will have to wake up.
“There’s always a risk when you take on an adversary. There’s also risk in doing nothing allowing Russia to expand not just in Ukraine. But where does it head to next, prior to going into Odessa?
“I was recently in Moldova next door which is not part of NATO, a very small country, very limited armed forces. They feel very, very vulnerable indeed.
“Look what’s going on in Bosnia right now and in Kosovo, the stability in Eastern Europe is very precarious indeed. Why? Because Putin has recognised after our humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, that this is his moment.
“He is backed up by China, don’t forget, I see those two coalescing, this axis of Russia and China dominating for the next 10, 20, 30 years.
“There is a danger when it comes to leaving Ukraine on its own and not leaning into it or not necessarily boots on the ground.
“There are many ways operationally, strategically that we can support Ukraine.
“Let’s not forget we’ve got the head of the British Army here in the UK saying this is a 1937 moment. Look what happened there when we blinked.”
On re-joining the EU, Mr Ellwood said: “Nobody dare touch the subject. It’s toxic at the moment. And I think the nation as a whole doesn’t see themselves as Brexiteers or remainers. That is very much a Westminster bubble terminology.
“Britain just wants us to get on with it. We’re out of the EU, we distance ourselves politically but go down to the engine room and you’ll see that this economic model that we currently have with Brexit could improve.
“That’s all I’m suggesting. It may not be that the Norwegian model would not be for everybody but I promise you that the next Prime Minister will be looking at this, even if they deny that they’ll be doing so right now.”
Asked why he wanted Boris Johnson to resign, he said: “It was to do with the ill-discipline that we saw with Partygate.
“It’s been summed up as a lack of focus, a lack of clarity as to where we’re going to take the country.
“We’ve got some big challenges coming over the horizon, both domestically and internationally and the nation needs to be led at this difficult time.
“We weren’t seeing that from this government from Number 10 and indeed from the Prime Minister.
“And it then became all the more difficult for ministers themselves to go out every day, and to defend the Government’s record, which is why eventually, you saw ministers, up to 50 almost in one day, decide ‘that’s it’.
“We need to change very different circumstances to when other prime ministers have departed in office, because this was less to do with policy, more to do with the personality and style of government.”
He said he was allowed to vote in the leadership vote, despite having lost the whip: “I lost the whip. I should say that common sense prevailed through Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, to allow me to vote for Penny Mordaunt.
“I made it clear how embarrassing it would look given the fact I was the only one to lose the whip even though a number of MPs were aware at that point, if Penny were to have lost by one, so I’m actually pleased that I was able to support Penny.”
Asked if he supported Penny Morduant’s decision to back Liz Truss, Mr Ellwood said: “Well, I think it’s for every MP to make their own judgement on who they want to support.
“I would say on a more general basis, given that we’ve just been speaking about Boris Johnson in the absence of discipline, the absence of focus – this is a time for the party to recognise as we choose a new leader that isn’t just people in Odessa. It’s a nation here that is watching as well.
“There’s been a little bit too much blue on blue for my liking. It’s been rather unedifying, we need to focus on that vision.
“We need to recognise that it is a broad coalition of voters that we need to win the next general election, not just our party base. A lot of the policies that we’re seeing being thrown at our party to gain support to collect those critical votes actually may not appeal to the wider electorate as a whole.
“There are difficult challenges ahead. I hope that in the remaining few weeks, we can look at those wider challenges, rather than just what our base wants to hear.”
