North Korea Warning: Kim Could Nuke UK in 18 Months as Defence ‘Close to Breaking’

NORTH Korea could build a nuclear missile capable of hitting London “within the next 12-18 months” and the UK would not be able to defend itself, a former British General has warned.

Sir Richard Barrons, the recently retired Commander of Joint Forces Command, described British military equipment and training as “not fit for purpose”. 

The armies of both enemies and allies were overtaking UK soldiers in terms of facilities, sustainability and expertise, he told the Commons Defence Select Committee. 

He said: “The people who are in defence…they’re never going to say publicly, or to themselves, or to their enemy, or to their allies, that we’re broken.

“But when they fly, sail or deploy on the land and they look at their equipment, they look at their sustainability and they look at their shortfalls in training and they look at their allies – they know they are not fit for purpose.” 

He said Britain would struggle to defend itself if the likes of North Korea, Russia or Islamic State decided to launch a nuclear attack on these shores.

The general said: “There are clearly existential threats to our country and they come in many forms. 

“They come in the form of Daesh who, if they could, would find weapons of mass destruction and apply them to the UK.

“We are locked in a daily confrontation with Russia – the Prime Minister said so herself yesterday.

“We are looking at North Korea which within the next 12 to 18 months will make a nuclear missile to an intercontinental range ballistic missile that could reach London and we can’t deal with that.”

He added: “We now live in an age where people who are not on our side have the capability that they could – I’m not saying they will – but they could inflict on the UK homeland at short notice something which we can’t deal with.