Ministers must be honest about Russian threat to UK, says former Foreign Office head

Peter Ricketts, a former national security adviser and Foreign Office head, has urged ministers to be candid with the public about the immediate risk of Russian hybrid attacks on the UK. He warned that increasingly reckless cyber-assaults could disrupt essential services and eventually cause deaths, and called for greater investment in protecting critical infrastructure.

Ricketts identified banking, energy, water, transport, air traffic control and defence as sectors needing stronger protections. His warning follows recent statements from MI5 chief Ken McCallum, who called Russia the “number one aggressor”, and Army chief Roly Walker, who said the public would need a frank discussion about defence sacrifices. Ricketts also said Britain is unlikely to influence Donald Trump’s current approach to Ukraine in the short term, amid worsening US-Kyiv relations.