Andy Burnham should do six things as Russia threatens to use nuclear weapons against the UK, an expert has said. The advice comes as the full-scale invasion of Ukraine drags on, the Kremlin conducts a so-called "hybrid" war against NATO, and Moscow warned that nuclear weapons could be used to respond to British "military action".
Six recommendations for deterrence
Dr. Maxim Starchak, an independent expert on Russian nuclear policy, strategic weapons and defence industry and fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy of the Queen's University in Canada, told the Express that Britain should "monitor Russian nuclear policy and the triggers that may influence it" and "maintain dialogue in the P5 format" — multilateral communication involving the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France.
The UK should also "accelerate the warhead replacement programme (A21/Mk7) and the construction of Dreadnought-class submarines" and the purchase of F-35A fighters "to restore the air component of nuclear deterrence", Dr. Starchak recommended. In June 2025, it was announced that the UK would buy 12 new jets and join NATO's dual capable aircraft nuclear mission.
Coordination and defence upgrades
Moreover, Mr Burnham should oversee the strengthening of "coordination with France and create a joint nuclear planning mechanism" and "develop air-defence/missile-defence systems, in particular accelerate the commissioning of E-7 Wedgetail aircraft and Sea Viper Evolution missiles", the specialist added. The Wedgetail is Britain's next-generation Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) plane. The Sea Viper missile system is undergoing a £405million upgrade.
Emeritus professor at the University of Buckingham, Anthony Glees, said: "What is the best deterrence? In my opinion, under no circumstances whatsoever must Putin be allowed to achieve a win in Ukraine.
"Indeed, he must be defeated in Ukraine and seen to be defeated in Ukraine. That means every blow that Putin lands on the brave people of Ukraine must be matched by blows on Russia, even blows with interest on them.
"If he knows he cannot win, Putin will sue for peace and that will be largely for the Ukrainians to shape. This demented and evil little dictator, a jumped-up KGB officer who should never have come anywhere near power in the Kremlin, will be finished.
NATO and Western relations
"So NATO should enable Ukraine to escalate and escalate with all the might that we have. You might ask, 'What would Trump say?' Nothing worth worrying about, in my opinion, Trump has been holed below the water line by his disastrous and failed war against Iran.
"He might turn against his allied NATO states but frankly he's already turned against us all. It can't really be that much worse than it is. We've all seen him dozing away, sleepy Don. His 'war minister' Hegseth should be content ordering public executions and his Secretary of State can spare the effort of lecturing us on 'civilisation'.
"Of course no one in their right mind here in the European NATO countries would want to irritate Trump but basically we irritate him simply by existing. He loathes the European Single Market of about 500 million consumers with up to one billion Europeans connected to it in one way or another.
"It's almost twice the size of the US internal market. As Rubio made clear the other day in Athens, what America now means by 'western civilisation' is very different from what we mean. We reject the idea that 'conquest' is the way of the future, or that great men 'the exceptional individuals who obtain immortality through their own deeds' is a concept Europeans would support. After all, all the nations of Europe have suffered most grievously from 'great men' like Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini, responsible for millions of deaths in the last century."
