Chance of nuclear war ‘massively higher than should be tolerable’ warns expert

The UK and several other countries have increased defence spending in recent months as the threat of all-out war really does feel closer than ever . . . and it is, apparently

The chances of nuclear war are higher than ever, an expert has claimed. Just hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un fumed that he was speeding up his country’s “nuclearization,” an expert from the University of Cambridge has soberingly stated that we’re officially close to nuclear war – and it’s not something we should be tolerating.

Paul Ingram, a research affiliate for Cambridge’s Centre of Existential Risk, said: “The risk of nuclear conflict is massively higher than should be tolerable. The threat has increased significantly in the last few years – and probably in the last couple of months.”

Tensions have been continuing to rise in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin appears no closer to agreeing a ceasefire, while the rhetoric from Israel over its war against Hamas in Gaza also shows no signs of slowing down.

And with the UK and several other countries increasing defence spending – which basically means buying more weapons – the threat of all-out war really does feel closer than ever.

However, speaking to the i newspaper, Professor Andy Stirling, a nuclear policy expert from the University of Sussex, attempted to pour scorn on the war talk.

He claimed that there was “a big mismatch between the perceived threat and the actual threat” of nuclear war.

Although he did issue a warning, and said: “We have been living under an absolutely massive nuclear threat for decades and, at some point, our luck is going to run out.”

And it’s not as if world leaders have been shying away from the war talk, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has previously stated that “World War 2 has already begun in a new form,” accusing the West of provoking global conflicts to maintain its dominance and weaken Russia.”

In a recent opinion piece for The Guardian, Fabrizio Tassinari, executive director of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute, was asked about recent talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.

He said that “the stakes have rarely been higher: the consequences for all of Europe if these talks are followed by chaos could be devastating”.

And when talking about the UK’s recent defence spending increases, Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared that “the post-war era is over and a new age of insecurity has begun”.

He also warned that the world is “perhaps more dangerous and volatile than at any time” since the Second World War.

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