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Tory party chairman Richard Holden has said that he would fight for his country if the UK went to war with Russia.
Holden was speaking after a poll for GB News found that as few as two in five Britons would join a civilian army to fight against Russia.
Asked by GB News if he would fight for his country, Holden said: “Absolutely. If it ever came to that, I certainly would.”
He added: “Just put this in context. I don’t think we’re anywhere near that at the moment. What we’ve seen in Ukraine is a horrendous onslaught from an authoritarian dictator in Moscow which has fought with a huge amount of money, working with his allies like Iran to really try and hammer a fledgling [country].”
Tory party chairman Richard Holden has said that he would fight for his country if the UK went to war with Russia
GBN
Holden – who is 38 – would be too old to sign up to the regular Army but is young enough to be considered to be a Reservist.
Asked if he was worried about how few Britons might volunteer to fight for King and Country, he said: “I think it depends on the context in which any poll is taken and what exactly is the nature of the question asked.”
Earlier this week Downing Street was forced to rule out conscription after the head of the Army warned that British civilians would need to fight Russia in a future war.
Holden – who is 38 – would be too old to sign up to the regular Army but is young enough to be considered to be a Reservist.
GB NEWS
Holden said: “What we are now on it’s a situation where we are coming out of that very tough period, and we’re able to outline our plans for the future.
“And I think the actual tax cut, you mentioned the National Insurance cut for working people is the start of that. We’ll see more of that in March, and more of that later in the year as well. We have that new direction of travel, which is clear.”
The admission is the first time the Tories have admitted there could be a second fiscal event this year ahead of polling day.
Labour frontbenchers have said that they are expecting a second fiscal event in September, ahead of party conference season and polling day in early to mid-November.
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Holden played down an overnight poll for GB News which gave Labour a 25 per cent lead over the Tories, which are just eight points ahead of Reform UK in third place.
He said: “It’s quite understandable that between elections polls move around an awful lot.”
The Conservative Party Chairman pointed out that then PM Theresa May was 26 points ahead in 2017, called an election and “ended up losing a majority”.
He added: “Harold Wilson that said a week is a long time in politics. Well, seven, eight, nine, 10 months can be a long time. But crucially people want to see ahead of an election and real direction of travel.”
Holden also hinted that he would consider reappointing former deputy chairman Lee Anderson, who quit this month over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan.
He said: “It was sad to lose Lee. He does a lot of good for the party, fundraisers around the country. Really helping gee up the membership. I hope he continues to do that.
“But the decisions on jobs for people are not one for me alone. I’ll have to chat to the Chief Whip and Prime Minister about it. But I think in the long term, you shouldn’t rule anything out.
“And in fairness to Lee, he was very decent and straightforward in his resignation letter.”
Earlier this week, Anderson – who is a presenter on GB News – said he regretted abstaining on the Rwanda plan.
Holden said: “To admit that you’ve got something wrong is not always easy. And he’s done that. And so I hope he continues to be my colleague for years to come. And about his future jobs, well, we’ll have to see. I’m sure he’ll be on GB News for quite a while.”
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