British troops should not be sent into Ukraine "in haste" as it risks getting into combat with a nuclear-armed Russia, a rising star Conservative MP has warned.
Nick Timothy warned that UK troops could be put into harm's way if the Prime Minister pushes ahead with his peackeeping plan.
Speaking on Chopper's Political Podcast, Timothy said: "Peacekeeping sounds fluffy but it's not like blueberries and like handing out sweets to kids. It means if Russia attacks, that we fight Russia."
Theresa May's ex-No10 chief of staff, who was elected as the MP for West Suffolk last July, said it was important the UK understands its national interest before committing troops.
Nick Timothy appearing on Chopper's Political Podcast
GB NEWS
Starmer made clear at last week-end's Lancaster House summit of European leaders that the UK was prepared to put British "boots on the ground" as part of any peacekeeping force.
The Prime Minister has also pledged to consult Parliament before any deployment.
However, Timothy did not appear convinced by Starmer's assurances.
He said: "I'm quite anxious about some of these commitments may be made in haste, about putting boots on the ground in Ukraine.
Keir Starmer is also supporting an Anglo-French peacekeeping forceGETTY"To be clear, that is a country outside Nato. Peacekeeping sounds fluffy, but it's not like blueberries or handing out sweets to kids. It means if Russia attacks, we fight Russia."
Timothy added: "Russia is obviously a serious military power with nuclear weapons, and I think that's something to worry about."
The Tory MP also said that more thought had to go into the fact that Russia was armed with nuclear weapons, like the UK.
He said: "If we step back and we think about what the true strategic threats are for Britain, we should be thinking about the national interest.
Vladimir PutinGetty"Yes we're committed to collective security, but we obviously have to think about the national interest above everything in strategic terms.
"For us, Russia is a threat, but it may not be the greatest threat. I mean, China is a very serious threat.
"The Americans see China is the principal threat for them. The Europeans, I think, don't yet. But I actually think that's naive and unwise."
Turning to migration, Timothy said that the debate had to turn to "getting some people to leave the country".
He claimed: "There's this huge questions about our kind of cultural identity and social coherence as a country when it comes to things like immigration and assimilation of migrants.
Christopher Hope sat down with Nick Timothy this week
GB NEWS
"And to be frank, part of the immigration debate in the future will also need to be about getting some people to leave the country.
"I'm not necessarily just talking about deporting... Basically if people come here on time limited visas and they're not contributing, then they should leave at the end of their visa.
"Coming on a time limited visa should not give you the right to live here for the rest of your life.
"And lots of these migrants are net fiscally negative, and in the end are just adding to the huge debt pressures that the country faces."
Listen to the full interview with Nick Timothy on Chopper's Political Podcast, out today, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or watch it on GB News' YouTube channel.
