Anti‑radar campaigners demand debate with Pembrokeshire MP
Campaign group PARC Against DARC accuses Henry Tufnell of “getting into bed with Trump” and calls for a public showdown over the US radar plan.
Anti‑space‑wars campaigners have demanded a public debate with Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell, accusing the Labour politician of “getting into bed with Trump” over the US‑led DARC radar project.
The Ministry of Defence’s DARC (Deployable Advanced Radar Capability) proposal would see 27 large parabolic dishes installed at Cawdon Barracks, Brawdy, to track objects in high‑Earth orbit and monitor satellite debris.
Tufnell, MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, welcomed the plan earlier this year, describing it as a “once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity for the County”.
“Our community here in Pembrokeshire has always played a pivotal role in the UK’s defence and the DARC project represents the next chapter in our proud heritage,” he said.
He added that he was “working closely with MoD officials to ensure that the views and concerns of local residents are fully heard and addressed”.
PARC Against DARC, a campaign group formed in 2024 to oppose the radar array, says the MP lacks a proper grasp of the issue.
The group released a meme portraying Tufnell as President Donald Trump’s “puppy‑dog”, prompting the MP to post a video on social media complaining about the image.
“Though previous MPs in Pembrokeshire were unpopular, at least they sometimes did their homework.”
“We imagine he would keep lying about the jobs anyway even if he did.”
At a recent demonstration outside County Hall in Haverfordwest, campaigners held up masks bearing Tufnell’s face, dubbed “Toffsicles”, and were joined by actor and Game of Thrones star Jerome Flynn, a Pembrokeshire resident.
The DARC planning application has now been “called in” to the Welsh Government, with Plaid Cymru openly opposing the radar on environmental and health grounds.
Campaigners argue the project has not demonstrated compliance with ICNIRP radiation standards, noting that the regulations permit emissions “hundreds of times more powerful than in other countries”.
Six of the 27 radar dishes objected to by Natural Resources Wales are said to transmit radiation of “enormous power outputs”, and the MOD has, to date, taken no robust action to allay local concerns.
They cite more than 4,000 studies indicating that such radiation can cause serious harm, a factor they say is prompting some residents to consider abandoning their homes.
“Tufnell’s grip of 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… are toothless anyway.”
The campaign frames the dispute as “Pembrokeshire People vs Tufnell”, adding that the stage is set for a “Wales vs Westminster” showdown over the planning consent.
The request for a debate arrives as the Welsh Government reviews the application, a decision that could determine whether the radar array proceeds amid mounting local opposition.