READING’S Ukrainian community was remembered in parliament yesterday, thanks to Reading East MP Matt Rodda.
He spoke in a parliamentary debate following a statement on the invasion of Ukraine, given by prime minister Boris Johnson.
In his statement, Mr Rodda said that he offered his “wholehearted support” for tougher sanctions against Putin’s Russia.
“There are many historic Ukrainian communities in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and indeed I would like to commend the work of the Reading Ukrainian Centre,” he said, asking the prime minister:
“What additional support can the Government give to these very valuable community groups and centres around the country that offer such support to families, friends and relatives both in the UK and in Ukraine?”
Responding, Mr Johnson said: “Perhaps the most important thing that we can do for the Ukrainian community in this country is thank them and recognise everything that they have done for us in the past decades.
“They have been an amazing addition to the UK, to the UK economy and to our cultural and artistic life.”
Maidenhead MP Theresa May, whose constituency includes parts of Sonning, Twyford, Ruscombe and Wargrave, reminded MPs that people were united in the “defiance of democracy.
“Vladimir Putin has initiated war in mainland Europe. The response must be unequivocal and absolutely clear,” she said, calling for “every possible economic sanction” to be used against Russia.
This would ensure, she added, that the country felt “the cold wind of isolation and the Russian people understand that Vladimir Putin has brought their state to a pariah state”.
Wokingham MP Sir John Redwood didn’t speak in the debate, but instead published a blog post entitled “The UK needs to look to its national security”.
“The UK is right to work with our US and European allies in NATO to do the best we can in a grave situation,” he wrote.
“What this must now do is make the UK take some hard and good decisions about our future national security. It should start with a National Security Council review of our energy supply with a view to re-establishing self-sufficiency as soon as possible. It needs to include a further military review to expand our forces.
“We could spend the extra tax we collect on producing more of our own oil and gas to pay for a larger military.”
