Nick Allen is the Conservative candidate for Doncaster Central
I am fortunate in Doncaster Central to have a large number of Ukrainians. Doncaster AUGB alongside the Doncaster Ukrainian Centre do brilliant work helping them and humanitarian work that saves lives in Ukraine. They have my full support. I am committed to advocating for freedom for Ukrainians. I long for the day of their victory and the liberation of all of their land.
I don’t just want to see that victory. I want to do all I can, whether elected or not on Thursday, to campaign for the next government to do everything in its power to help Ukraine win. I have pledged my full support for UK Friends of Ukraine’s #UkraineMustWin campaign.
Nigel Farage’s recent comments were reprehensible. I am not going to repeat them, because I do not want to amplify pro-Kremlin propaganda, but suffice it to say that, unlike Farage, I think if we are to be honest about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine since 2014, it is Russia who provoked this war. Under’s Vladimir Putin’s imperial ideology, Russia sees Ukraine as part of Russia, refusing to recognise Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. As a believer in sovereignty and human rights, I stand squarely behind Ukraine in its fight for freedom against Russian tyranny. The only patriotic choice is for the UK to support Ukraine.
There are four pledges as part of the #UkraineMustWin campaign. I have committed to supporting arming Ukraine to win, backing tougher sanctions and other economic measures, designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, and seizing sanctioned Russian assets as reparations for Ukraine.
I am immensely proud of the significant contribution the last Conservative Government made to Ukraine, which helped ensure that Ukraine has been able to fight bravely and successfully against Russian terrorism. The UK was the first to provide modern Western tanks (Challenger 2) and long-range precision strike missiles. Recently, the UK delivered a new package of 200 advanced air defence missiles to bolster Ukraine’s defences against Russian drone and missile attacks. Moreover, Rishi Sunak announced a £500 million military aid package in April 2024.
However, the next government should not rest on its laurels, as we can go further in supporting Ukraine. The UK has scheduled the decommissioning of over 10 types of military equipment, such as armoured vehicles, tanks, and artillery, by 2030. The best way to repurpose this equipment is by transferring it to Ukraine. This would not impose significant financial burdens and would further enhance the UK’s security, whilst benefiting Ukraine.
I firmly believe that there is no other way to describe what Russia is doing in Ukraine than terrorism. The destruction of 167,200 civilian buildings in Ukraine would dwarf my Doncaster Central constituency when you consider it is home to just over 71,000 people. Furthermore, at least 10,582 Ukrainian civilians have been murdered and 19,875 civilians injured. The number injured is far larger than the capacity of the Doncaster Rovers FC’s Eco-Power stadium, which can hold up to 15,231 people. That is why I am calling on the next government to follow the lead of countries such as Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania and recognise Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The next government should seize sanctioned Russian assets and use them as reparations for Ukraine. I understand that since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February, the Government has frozen at least £18 billion of Russian assets and this number may be significantly higher. This much-needed funding would be equivalent to £650 being donated by every household in the UK. Therefore, seizing Russian assets would be good for the UK taxpayer and the people of Ukraine, whilst making Russia pay for its crimes against humanity.
Finally, the next UK Government has the opportunity to strengthen our already stringent economic measures against Russia. Russia is using illicit finance to fund its war of aggression against Ukraine. To help defund the Russian war machine the next government should designate Russia as a high-risk third country in the UK. This would help blacklist Russia from the UK and global financial system, thereby safeguarding our national security given Russia’s involvement in money laundering, financing terrorism, and facilitating cybercrime.
The four asks of the #UkraineMustWin campaign form a blueprint for the next UK Government to follow to help the UK bring about Ukraine’s victory that we all want to see. I urge my fellow Conservative candidates to get behind this important Ukraine.
Slava Ukraini, Heroyam Slava!
Nick Allen is the Conservative candidate for Doncaster Central
I am fortunate in Doncaster Central to have a large number of Ukrainians. Doncaster AUGB alongside the Doncaster Ukrainian Centre do brilliant work helping them and humanitarian work that saves lives in Ukraine. They have my full support. I am committed to advocating for freedom for Ukrainians. I long for the day of their victory and the liberation of all of their land.
I don’t just want to see that victory. I want to do all I can, whether elected or not on Thursday, to campaign for the next government to do everything in its power to help Ukraine win. I have pledged my full support for UK Friends of Ukraine’s #UkraineMustWin campaign.
Nigel Farage’s recent comments were reprehensible. I am not going to repeat them, because I do not want to amplify pro-Kremlin propaganda, but suffice it to say that, unlike Farage, I think if we are to be honest about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine since 2014, it is Russia who provoked this war. Under’s Vladimir Putin’s imperial ideology, Russia sees Ukraine as part of Russia, refusing to recognise Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. As a believer in sovereignty and human rights, I stand squarely behind Ukraine in its fight for freedom against Russian tyranny. The only patriotic choice is for the UK to support Ukraine.
There are four pledges as part of the #UkraineMustWin campaign. I have committed to supporting arming Ukraine to win, backing tougher sanctions and other economic measures, designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, and seizing sanctioned Russian assets as reparations for Ukraine.
I am immensely proud of the significant contribution the last Conservative Government made to Ukraine, which helped ensure that Ukraine has been able to fight bravely and successfully against Russian terrorism. The UK was the first to provide modern Western tanks (Challenger 2) and long-range precision strike missiles. Recently, the UK delivered a new package of 200 advanced air defence missiles to bolster Ukraine’s defences against Russian drone and missile attacks. Moreover, Rishi Sunak announced a £500 million military aid package in April 2024.
However, the next government should not rest on its laurels, as we can go further in supporting Ukraine. The UK has scheduled the decommissioning of over 10 types of military equipment, such as armoured vehicles, tanks, and artillery, by 2030. The best way to repurpose this equipment is by transferring it to Ukraine. This would not impose significant financial burdens and would further enhance the UK’s security, whilst benefiting Ukraine.
I firmly believe that there is no other way to describe what Russia is doing in Ukraine than terrorism. The destruction of 167,200 civilian buildings in Ukraine would dwarf my Doncaster Central constituency when you consider it is home to just over 71,000 people. Furthermore, at least 10,582 Ukrainian civilians have been murdered and 19,875 civilians injured. The number injured is far larger than the capacity of the Doncaster Rovers FC’s Eco-Power stadium, which can hold up to 15,231 people. That is why I am calling on the next government to follow the lead of countries such as Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania and recognise Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The next government should seize sanctioned Russian assets and use them as reparations for Ukraine. I understand that since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February, the Government has frozen at least £18 billion of Russian assets and this number may be significantly higher. This much-needed funding would be equivalent to £650 being donated by every household in the UK. Therefore, seizing Russian assets would be good for the UK taxpayer and the people of Ukraine, whilst making Russia pay for its crimes against humanity.
Finally, the next UK Government has the opportunity to strengthen our already stringent economic measures against Russia. Russia is using illicit finance to fund its war of aggression against Ukraine. To help defund the Russian war machine the next government should designate Russia as a high-risk third country in the UK. This would help blacklist Russia from the UK and global financial system, thereby safeguarding our national security given Russia’s involvement in money laundering, financing terrorism, and facilitating cybercrime.
The four asks of the #UkraineMustWin campaign form a blueprint for the next UK Government to follow to help the UK bring about Ukraine’s victory that we all want to see. I urge my fellow Conservative candidates to get behind this important Ukraine.
Slava Ukraini, Heroyam Slava!