‘After Salisbury, enough’s enough from Russia’
Moscow is biggest threat to Britain and Nato, says Ben Wallace, as he defends the ‘special relationship’
Ben Wallace has a book in the waiting room outside his office – The Ladybird
Book of Red Tape. It has some advice for the security minister. One page shows a picture of a fighter jet trying to land on an aircraft carrier. The caption says: “Terry is running out of fuel and requires permission to land. The paperwork should be through in six to eight weeks.”
Speaking before next week’s Nato summit in Brussels and hours after news that two Britons were poisoned in Wiltshire with a Russian-made nerve agent, he knows the Government does not have as much time to deal with the threat from Russia.
But Britain is prepared, he says, going further than the Prime Minister and describing the UK as a “tier one” defence nation, which means that it has a nuclear deterrent, and an army, navy and air force capable of deploying anywhere in the world.
As England prepare to take on Sweden in the World Cup in Russia today, he warns that football fans should not forget the threat the host country poses to the UK. “I don’t equate a sporting tournament with foreign policy and values of a country,” he says, “but let’s be honest. Russia is still sitting in Crimea; we are still dealing with the after-effects of an attempted murder in the UK.
“We are still dealing with a daily assault on companies and people by cyber crime and cyber espionage. This is a country that clearly shot down MH17, a passenger jet flying from Holland to Malaysia, people going about their lawful business. It is a country that is engaged in all sorts of issues around the world.
“What happened in Salisbury was ‘enough’s enough’. It doesn’t end because we expelled some diplomats. It ends when Russia realises it is in its interests to follow the rule of law.”
Referring to this week’s nerve agent poisoning in Salisbury, he says: “What we saw were the consequences of the reckless attempted murder in March. What did these latest victims do to Russia to suffer this way? We are fortunate hundreds of people were not hospitalised.
“As our police try to piece together the who, how and what of the attack, we should reflect that Russia still obfuscates and ridicules those who stand up to them.
“When the full story comes out, which I have no doubt it one day will, those people spouting conspiracy theories and choosing to malign our own police and intelligence services will look like the useful idiots they so obviously are. Perhaps the truth that the Russian State can be so wicked is a truth they cannot face or perhaps it is just cowardice. I look forward to their explanations.”
For Mr Wallace, 48, the fight against Russia’s malign influence starts at home where so-called “facilitators” – accountants, lawyers and estate agents – need to start reporting suspicions they may have about their clients’ wealth. “We have to do a lot more work around who is bringing money into this country and what they are doing with it,” he says.
“It is why I am determined to target the facilitators.”
Mr Wallace – security minister since Theresa May became Prime Minister in July 2016 – admits the Government has for too long looked away rather than probe the origins of oligarch wealth. He says: “A number of previous governments have to answer the question ‘Did we get the balance wrong between need for investment versus security?’ That balance is now being restored. Post-brexit London has to have the reputation for being the home of strong, uncorrupted judiciary.
“It has to be known for clean money. It has to be where if you are legitimate you can put your money, and you can trust our system.”
Next week’s summit is expected to be dominated by Donald Trump telling his allies to spend more on defence.
Mr Wallace is quick to praise the Government’s commitment to defence, describing the UK as a “tier one” defence power – something Mrs May would not do just two weeks ago.
He says: “We need a modern, 21st-century defence that reflects the threat. The issue is not about money. The issue is do we have a defence fit to face the modern threat?”
He brushes off Mr Trump’s repeated threats to pull the US out of Nato. “The Americans I meet and talk to all the time are absolutely committed to the importance of Nato,” he says. “Do I think Nato is under threat? No. It has new challenges. Everyone said it was finished after the Cold War – not true. But if anyone thought our adversaries had gone away, they’ve done the opposite. They have adapted and modernised and taken us on.”
There have been reports that relations between Mr Trump and Mrs May have cooled – but Mr Wallace says it is important to remember that the “special relationship” is deep. He says: “Any government of the United Kingdom would be wise to maintain a strong, deep link. It is special not because it is about presidents and prime ministers, it is special because it is a family relationship. It is an enduring, embedded relationship.”
Looking ahead to Mr Trump’s first presidential visit to the UK next week, he says many protesters who will fill
‘If anyone thought our adversaries had gone away, they’ve done the opposite, adapted and modernised’
London’s streets are “less anti-trump and more anti-america”. He says: “I didn’t see them when other presidents came from other parts of the world, who are not democratically elected.
“People should understand that America helps save British lives every day and we help save European lives and American lives with intelligence sharing and our security operations.
“They forget that far too quickly. It is not just in terrorism or national security, it is in law and order, in organised crime, catching paedophiles. It is a family relationship.”