Nigel Farage says he would vote against putting UK boots on ground in Ukraine
Nigel Farage has said he will vote against the deployment of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, saying the UK has neither the “manpower nor the equipment” for such an operation.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer said MPs would have the opportunity to vote on the final number of troops to be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday, Sir Keir said British and French forces would help train Ukrainian troops and maintain weapons stocks in a bid to deter future Russian aggression.
But the Reform UK leader opposed the plan, saying the Coalition of Volunteers, a partnership of countries discussing action in Ukraine to preserve a possible peace deal, were “just two countries”.
The Clacton MP told Times Radio: “It would be a very interesting vote. I would vote against it. We clearly don’t have the manpower or equipment to go into an operation that has no end.”
“If this were a Korean-style UN where many countries were involved and we could rotate in and out, then I might consider that. But obviously what you saw yesterday was Macron standing there with the British prime minister.
“Giorgia Meloni was outside smoking, she did not interfere. The German made a speech but did not say anything. The Coalition of Volunteers consists of only two countries.
“Obviously that would be the British army on the Rhine today. When we did that defense was 5 per cent of our national expenditure and we were there for 50 years.”
He added: “If the coalition of the willing consisted of eight, ten, a dozen countries and we could rotate battalions, then I might well have said: ‘Yes, let’s certainly do it.’ In this case, we and the French will be completely exposed for an unlimited period of time.”
Farage’s party was previously accused of pandering to Russia after a politician from the party admitted taking bribes to make statements in favor of Vladimir Putin’s Russia when he was a member of the European Parliament.
The number of personnel deployed to “military centers” in Ukraine will be determined in line with the UK’s military plans, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday. The agreement was announced after a meeting of the coalition of volunteers on Tuesday.
The United States has signaled that it will provide security guarantees to European-led peacekeeping efforts; This is something Donald Trump has previously seemed reluctant to do.
Opening the first PMQs of the year, Sir Keir told the meeting on Tuesday that the coalition of volunteers had made “real progress on the security guarantees that are vital to securing a just and lasting peace”.
“I will keep the Parliament updated as the situation develops and if troops are to be deployed in accordance with the signed declaration, I will put the matter to a vote in the Parliament,” he added, saying a statement would be made to the Parliament “as soon as possible.”
But Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch claimed Sir Keir wanted to dodge MPs’ questions, adding: “Why isn’t today the earliest opportunity?”
He then pressed the prime minister to “confirm how many troops will be sent to Ukraine and whether they will be on combat duty.”
He replied: “I will make it clear to the Parliament that the deployment will only take place after the ceasefire, that it will be to support Ukraine’s capabilities, conduct deterrence operations and build and maintain military centers.
“The number will be determined in accordance with the military plans we have prepared and which we expect other members to support. That is why I will put the number before the Parliament before deployment.”
He reiterated that he would debate and vote in the House of Commons if there was a “legal instrument” required.
Neither the prime minister’s press secretary nor his official spokesman could say whether a House of Commons vote rejecting a British deployment to Ukraine would be binding on the government, as was the case when David Cameron lost the vote on military action in Syria in 2013.
The spokesman told reporters: “I think the point is that until we can secure a cessation of hostilities, our planning teams are focused on ensuring that the coalition of the willing can comply with the requirements of any peace agreement and that the Ukrainian armed forces can be renewed, able to defend Ukraine and support European security for future generations. So it’s a gradual process.”
The spokesman did not say how many British troops would be deployed in Ukraine under the plans or whether France and Britain had made a commitment to match each other’s military contribution.
