John Baron MP presses Prime Minister over threats in North Africa

MP calls for urgent review during Commons Statement

Today in the House of Commons, during a statement by the Prime Minister on the situation in Algeria, John Baron MP called for an urgent review as to the safety of our people and interests – particularly in remote areas – in North Africa. The Prime Minister was speaking following yesterday’s military action by Algerian forces during which at least one British national was unfortunately killed. The situation is ongoing.

In the House of Commons, John asked,

“It is essential that a review is urgently undertaken regarding the security of our people in the region, and this should involve not only appropriate companies, but local governments as well. Given the possible link between this tragedy and the situation in Mali, which was been deteriorating for some time, was any threat assessment undertaken regarding our interests and people, and if so, what action followed?”

The Prime Minister replied that the Government constantly kept threat levels under review.

Afterwards, John said,

“There will always be knock-on consequences when getting involved in counter-insurgency operations in this region. Remote outposts can perhaps never be 100% secure but, in cooperation with local governments, much can be done to reduce the risk of harm. We must do everything we can to ensure that we do not have a repeat of the tragedy in Algeria.”