BRITAIN must invest in an “iron dome” to boost defence against possible missile attacks, an ally of Sir Keir declared last night.
Labour MP Luke Akehurst warned that the Ministry of Defence has “neglected” funding protection against aerial threats, leaving the UK vulnerable to Mad Vlad Putin and tyrants in Tehran.
AFPThe UK needs to prioritise investment in an ‘iron dome’ system, like Israel’s, above, to strengthen its defence against potential missile attacks, a close ally of the PM urged[/caption]
Labour MP Luke Akehurst warned that the Ministry of Defence has ‘neglected’ funding protection against aerial threats
EPAThe MP says the UK has been left vulnerable to Mad Vlad Putin and tyrants in Tehran[/caption]
Mr Akehurst, who was a key figure in the Blairite fight to take down Jeremy Corbyn, said funding a “British iron dome” must be a priority for the PM, especially in light of increased aggression from Russia and Iran.
Ex-military chiefs and Tory MPs have spent months arguing that while the UK has an air defence strategy, it lacks state-of-the-art land-based systems like Israel’s iron dome.
The mobile all-weather defence system can intercept short-range rockets, shells and mortars and has saved thousands of Israeli lives as the country has been struck by terrorist enemies in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Now, Labour MPs have joined the push for better protection of major cities and nuclear power stations across the UK.
Mr Akehurst told The Sun: “We need a properly integrated air and missile defence system that can defend against the whole range of aerial threats.
“This must be an urgent political, funding and industrial priority before it is too late – and our integration with new and bolstered air defence systems that our European allies have already had the foresight to invest in will be crucial.”
It comes as last month Russia fired new hypersonic ballistic missiles into Ukraine, targeting a civil energy system.
In May retired Air Chief Marshal Sir Clive Loader warned investing in homeland defence will be integral to deterring threats from Putin.
He said: “Rather sadly, we’re in the early 1930s again and need to be really careful.
“They say: ‘He who forgets the lessons of history is condemned to repeat them.’ I’ve got a nasty feeling that we’re not a million miles away from that.”
Ex-Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood has also cautioned “we need a permanent umbrella of security defending our key locations”.