Shapps vows UK will safeguard trade route in the Red Sea
The defence secretary insists that ‘almost no price’ is too high to support Ukraine, and that defence spending should be at least 3 percent of GDP or more.
Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, expressed concerns that the Red Sea should not become off-limits to cargo ships.
These comments were made following the interception of drones by British and U.S. warships, which were launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Economists have cautioned that if one of the busiest shipping routes in the world is restricted, it could result in another wave of inflation across the globe.
In an interview with The Times of London, Mr. Shapps emphasized the need for the UK to remain committed to safeguarding shipping routes.
“We are committed to protecting British interests in the Gulf, including vessels under a UK flag, British sailors, and goods destined for our shores,” the defence secretary stated.
He also emphasized the need to promote a safer world, pointing out that illegal attacks pose a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.
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“To uphold the rules-based world order, we must remain committed to repelling these attacks in order to maintain the free flow of global trade. I am determined that the UK will continue to play a significant role in this,” he stated.
Last week, Mr. Shapps shared that the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond thwarted an attempted drone attack targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea.
Mr. Shapps also stressed the importance of sustaining support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s invasion, stating that “we can literally not afford not to win this war.”
“We are in danger of sleepwalking into an era where we allow the dictatorial autocrats to get the upper hand, and that is incredibly dangerous. There’s almost no price that we shouldn’t be willing to pay today in order to stop that from happening tomorrow,” he emphasized.
Mr. Shapps urged that providing support to Ukraine is not an act of charity, but is “in our own bloody interests.”
“If we allow Putin to win this war by dragging it out and he somehow wins it by exhausting everybody else, then we will suffer the consequences,” he warned. “And the consequences would be incredibly severe for Europe, for Britain, for the world.
“And the reason I say that is because we know what happens when dictators march across Europe. We know what happens when others look at a weakness, or what they perceive to be a weakness, and that could have implications in the Indo-Pacific or elsewhere. So we can literally not afford not to win this war.”
This comes as a bill aimed at sending more aid to U.S. allies, including Ukraine and Israel, has been delayed in the U.S. Senate – Republicans have tied it with border security measures, and Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán has blocked an EU aid package for Ukraine.
Addressing Mr. Orbán, Mr. Shapps cautioned that if Eastern European countries “allow one of your neighbours to be invaded, then you put yourself at risk and you turn yourself into a vassal state, like the old sort of Soviet eastern European states, all too quickly.”
The defence secretary reiterated his call for an increase in defence spending to 3 percent and suggested it might need to be even higher.
“Unfortunately, the world has to now realize that …We can’t secure our prosperity and way of life by skimping on our basic defence,” he stressed.
“And that’s why we said we will spend 2.5 per cent as soon we can. I’ve spoken previously about the need to go to 3 per cent and I don’t resile from that at all. I think we need to go to 3 per cent and possibly higher,” he continued.
Mr. Shapps also expressed his belief that the rest of the West will “have to do the same” due to “the reality of a much more dangerous world that we’re living in.”
