ISISISIS “trying to obtain chemical, nuclear weapons”: U.K. government

Published 24 November 2015

British prime minister David Cameron said yesterday that the government security review has warned that ISIS and al-Qaeda are trying to get their hands on chemical and nuclear weapons. Cameroon referred to the security review in a speech in which he called on Members of Parliament to approve U.K. air strikes in Syria within a week. The British government pledged allocation additional resources for new equipment and the creation of within the Army of two new rapid response “strike brigades” of 5,000 soldiers each. The number of civilian jobs in the Ministry of defense, though, will be heavily reduced.

British prime minister David Cameron said yesterday that the government security review has warned that ISIS and al-Qaeda are trying to get their hands on chemical and nuclear weapons. Cameroon referred to the security review in a speech in which he called on Members of Parliament to approve U.K. air strikes in Syria within a week.

Cameron said that MPs “shouldn’t take too long” to reach a decision as he warned that “every day we spend is a day that we’re not getting to grips with the ISIL menace.”

The Telegraph reports that he said he will on Thursday outline the U.K. military’s plan for intervention in Syria, then give MPs the chance to “consider it over the weekend” ahead of a vote early next week.

The government unveiled its long-awaited defense review, setting out £178 billion over the next decade in investment in equipment for the Armed Forces.

He told the Commons: “Later this week I will set out in Parliament our comprehensive strategy for tackling ISIL [Islamic State].

“I firmly support the action that President Hollande has taken to strike ISIL in Syria and it is my firm conviction that Britain should do so too.

I don’t want to bounce the House into this. Members of Parliament will be able to take it away, consider it over the weekend, and then we go to having a full day’s debate and proper consideration, and a vote.”

He warned: “ISIL is not some remote problem thousands of miles away. It is a direct threat… the world is more dangerous and uncertain today than even five years ago.”

Cameron said that the defense budget is back “in balance” and said that the United Kingdom is the only major country in world to meet the targets of 2 percent GDP on defense and 0.7 percent spending on aid and development.