Social media war breaks out between MP and ‘space radar’ opponents

Martin Shipton

Welsh Labour MP Henry Tufnell and peace activists in his constituency have embarked on a social media war over his support for a proposed space radar defence network.

In a video posted on his Instagram account, the Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP states: “You might not know this, but people have been making memes about my face saying that I’m going to bed with Donald Trump. Crazy. This is all over my support for space radar being built in Pembrokeshire with the UK Government, Australian Government and the US Government.

“But they need to get their facts straight. The agreement for the project was done during the Biden administration, and it won’t become operational until after Trump has left the White House.

“So why am I supporting it? Well, one, it’ll bring jobs and economic opportunity to Pembrokeshire. Two, Pembrokeshire has always played a part in our national history in defending our country, and here we have the opportunity to play our part in fighting threats from Russia and China.

“And three, it meets the international requirements for any health or environmental concerns. So yeah, I’m supporting it because it’s the right thing for our county, our country and the world.”

 

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A post shared by Henry Tufnell MP (@henrytufnell)

The meme Mr Tufnell refers to was created by the PARC Against DARC campaign and depicts him as Donald Trump’s puppy dog. The campaign was established in 2024 to oppose the US military’s proposed DARC radar array in Pembrokeshire.

This isn’t the first time that Mr Tufnell and the anti-space-wars campaign have crossed metaphorical swords. At a recent demonstration outside County Hall in Haverfordwest, campaigners held up masks depicting Mr Tufnell’s face, which they had called “Toffsicles”, along with a sign reading “Where’s Tofnell?”

The campaigners were referring to his aristocratic background and the fact that he is not local to Pembrokeshire or Wales. They claim he was parachuted in by Sir Keir Starmer.

The DARC radar planning application has been “called in” by the Welsh Government under Plaid Cymru, which has made clear its opposition to the radar.

If the Welsh Government refuses planning consent for DARC, as expected, it will be set on a direct collision course with Westminster, as the Ministry of Defence and UK Government may attempt to override the decision and push the proposal through. This would be an unprecedented move and would likely cause major ructions between the two administrations.

‘Unanswered letters’

A statement issued by PARC Against DARC said: “Following reports of hundreds of unanswered letters, we call on Henry Tufnell MP to meet with the PARC Against DARC campaign and local residents, and to address our pressing concerns once and for all.”

It continued: “Though previous MPs in Pembrokeshire were unpopular, at least they sometimes did their homework. Tufnell constantly sounds like he knows nothing about one of the most serious and widely opposed proposals our county has ever faced.

“He doesn’t even know that because DARC necessitates the evacuation of Cawdor Barracks in Brawdy, it would lead to a net loss of hundreds of jobs. He hasn’t read the 750,000-word planning application, which states that even the claimed jobs, which would all be for US personnel anyway, are more like around 20–40. We imagine he would keep lying about the jobs anyway even if he did.

“And he certainly hasn’t listened to a single constituent’s email – 1,121 planning objections to only one in favour, a massive public petition, the opposition of dozens of elected politicians on both sides of the border, or multiple major protests. Instead, he is in a Trump fan club of one.”

‘Bluster’

The campaign added: “Tufnell’s grip on the facts gets even worse, though. He doesn’t even seem to realise that after all the bluster from the MOD about DARC meeting radiation regulations, DARC has not even been demonstrated to meet ICNIRP requirements specifically at all, and researchers have serious concerns that those regulations, which permit radiation hundreds of times more powerful than in other countries, are toothless anyway.

“Six of the massive 27 radar dishes that the National Parks and Natural Resources Wales have objected to and both agree would cause huge environmental damage transmit radiation of enormous power outputs, and the MOD has to this day done absolutely nothing to robustly alleviate local residents’ concerns about radiation that has proven to be capable of serious harm in over 4,000 studies.

“It’s a major reason why many have been considering abandoning their homes and lives. Tufnell and his kids should be fine at the other end of Pembrokeshire, but we doubt he would be moving to the St Davids peninsula in a hurry, and it’s clear he aggressively doesn’t care about the people who live here.”

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