Politics
Stop Welsh space radar station because of Trump’s ‘contempt’, first minister says
Stop Welsh space radar station because of Trump’s ‘contempt’, first minister says
The UK government should stop working with the US on a deep space radar station because Donald Trump has shown “contempt for our country”, Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan has said.
The first minister threatened to cause a row within Labour by asking her colleagues in Westminster to “halt” plans to put 27 radar dishes at Cawdor Barracks in Brawdy, Pembrokeshire.
The local labour MP said he was concerned that Morgan apparently did not want the jobs promised by the scheme, while Downing Street declined to say if the prime minister agreed with her.
A No 10 spokesperson said the programme “will secure long-term jobs in Pembrokeshire and Wales, and help protect essential satellite communication”.
The site is in the Ceredigion Penfro constituency where Morgan is Labour’s lead candidate for the Senedd election on 7 May.
Plaid Cymru accused Morgan of trying a “last ditch attempt” to save her seat while Reform said she was trying to distract from her record in government.
The Welsh Conservatives alleged Morgan was willing to put the UK’s national security at risk.
The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) programme – announced by the UK, US and Australia in 2023 – will detect and track objects orbiting Earth.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) wants to refurbish an airfield at Cawdor Barracks so it can house the UK’s main contribution to the scheme.
It would keep Cawdor open beyond its original closure date of 2028, but the scheme has been opposed by local campaigners.
In a Facebook reel, Morgan said the project should be “halted”, adding: “The United States under Donald Trump is not the partner it once was.
“Talk of targeting civilians, undermining our allies and diminishing the sacrifice of our armed forces is not the conduct of a reliable ally.”
She said there was a “clear difference” between standing with partners and “giving a free pass to a US president who has threatened war crimes and shown contempt for our country”.
The UK should pause its involvement in the radar project “until we can be confident those partnerships reflect our values and our security interests”, she said.
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The MOD has previously said DARC “will provide employment and upskilling opportunities within the local community across all sectors”.
Labour MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire Henry Tufnell said: “I’m concerned that the first minster appears not to want the local jobs and economic growth this project offers.
“Our community here in Pembrokeshire has always played a pivotal role in the UK’s defence and the DARC project represents the next chapter in our proud heritage.
“The UK government is resolute on using defence to keep our country safe and revitalise the industrial heartlands of our United Kingdom.”
Downing Street declined to say whether the prime minister agreed with Morgan, who has called for a halt to a joint UK-US defence project involving plans to build a new radar system with sites in Pembrokeshire, US and Australia.
Asked if Sir Keir Starmer agreed, a Downing Street press secretary declined to comment, but said “the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability programme will secure long-term jobs in Pembrokeshire and Wales, and help protect essential satellite communication and navigation works”.
“We’re engaging with the local community on proposals to redevelop Cawdor barracks to host DARC which will be operated by UK personnel.
“We’re following processes agreed with Pembrokeshire County Council and have already completed a comprehensive environmental impact assessment, including to ensure the project has minimal impact on the local skyline.”
A spokesman for opposition leader Kemi Badenoch expressed disagreement with the Welsh first minister’s stance, telling reporters that Britain “should not be doing anything that is going to have any sort of economic damage to this country, just because we don’t like the occupant of the White House”.
“We have got to think far more long term,” he added.
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, Darren Millar said: “Let’s be absolutely clear – we are living in a dangerously unstable world, with growing threats from countries like Russia and Iran.
“At a time like this, it is extraordinary that Eluned Morgan is willing to put our national security at risk.”
A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: “Since becoming first minister, she has chosen to stay quiet on defence and international affairs, only now speaking up after polls show her losing her seat.”
Plaid said it had “consistently opposed DARC alongside local communities”.
A spokesperson for Reform UK said it was clear “that Eluned Morgan is focusing on non-devolved issues to distract from her party’s appalling record in government with Plaid Cymru”.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Welsh Greens were also asked for comment.
You can find a full list of candidates for Ceredigion Penfro here.
Additional reporting by Damian Grammaticas
