Biological terror attack ‘likely by 2030’

BRITAIN’S new nuclear detection network should be expanded, an expert has said, as the Government warns a chemical or biological terror attack is “likely by 2030”.

There are calls for the £329 million system to also be capable of sniffing out “dirty bombs” being smuggled into the UK.

Terrorists will have seen the chaos a low-level pathogen such as coronavirus has caused and could adjust their tactics, Hamish de BrettonGordon told The Telegraph.

The chemical and biological warfare expert said: “Isis just needs to say ‘we’ve released Covid-25 on the Underground’. Who will go on the Underground then?”

The new funding pledge was in the Integrated Review (IR) of foreign, defence, security and development policy.

It comes in the wake of a promise three years ago to spend £50million on a site to detect chemical attacks.

The Government vowed to strengthen chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defences after the Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury in 2018. The site has yet to be built.

However, the IR said:

“There is a realistic possibility that state sponsorship of terrorism and the use of proxies will increase.

“It is likely that a terrorist group will launch a successful CBRN attack by 2030.”

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said the UK Medical Security Agency will start work on April 1.

Combining Public Health England, NHS Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre, it will be led by Dr Jenny Harries, England’s deputy chief medical officer.

Mr Hancock said it would ensure the UK was equipped to deal with the next pandemic. However, Mr de Bretton-Gordon said: “If this is the answer to biosecurity, it seems to be reactive rather than proactive.”

“We shouldn’t be just preparing for the next attack, we should be making sure the next one doesn’t happen.”

The IR says £329 million will be spent over the next three years as “capital funding” for a nuclear detection.

No further details were given regarding any possible new facility.

An additional £22 million has been made available to support existing work, likely to be carried out at Porton Down, the Government’s chemical and biological research facility.