Defence spending will boost skilled jobs, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has said that Vladimir Putin fears Britain’s nuclear weapons, saying that Trident continues to be a crucial deterrent as Russia resists efforts for peace in Ukraine. Speaking ahead of a visit to Barrow on Thursday — where he will lay the keel for the next generation of Britain’s nuclear deterrent submarines — the prime minister said it has proven “incredibly effective” since its introduction in the 1990s. Speaking about Russia, Sir Keir said: “I think they appreciate our capability. What is obviously important is that they appreciate that it is what it is, which is a credible capability”. He agreed that it is right for Putin to respect Britain’s nuclear deterrent, adding: “And that’s why the UK is within Europe as one of the leading nations on defence and security, because we’ve got our independent deterrent and we’re committed to Nato.”

The PM’s remarks come ahead of a crucial meeting of military figures taking place in the UK on Thursday as planning for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine moves into an “operational phase”. Sir Keir is expected to meet with defence planners after he announced at the weekend that military chiefs would gather to “put strong and robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace deal and guarantee Ukraine’s future security”. He has been trying to assemble a coalition of nations that would be willing to help enforce any peace deal that could be reached between Kyiv and Moscow. Speaking to reporters ahead of the visit to Barrow, he said: “It has been an incredibly effective deterrent for decades and we must not take that for granted. Which is why it’s good that we’re going to the Dreadnought class.

“The last few years and certainly the last few months have been a reminder, across the country and across Europe, how important that first duty of defence and security really is.” The prime minister argues his pledge to boost defence spending will help fulfil his mission to grow the UK economy. “Defence spending here is supporting highly skilled jobs, driving opportunities for young people and delivering world class capabilities to keep us all safe, but it’s also crucially putting money in the pockets of hardworking people”, he said. It comes just days after he secretly joined a crew of submariners as they returned home to their families for the first time in months, making him the first prime minister to join a so-called “day zero” since 2013.

Diplomatic efforts on securing a ceasefire in Ukraine continued on Wednesday, with the call between the US and Ukrainian leaders coming a day after Mr Trump spoke to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a “positive, very substantive and frank” conversation with Mr Trump, and said that Ukraine was “ready to implement” the ending of strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. But Putin has been accused of using delay tactics to stall the negotiations, causing Sir Keir Starmer to warn the Kremlin leader will have to come to the table “sooner or later”.

The Ukrainian president is also expected to address European leaders on Thursday when he dials in to the European Council meeting via video link. So far, the prime minister has not confirmed which nations have made concrete commitments to a peacekeeping force, but said that what action they could take would be a subject of discussion in the meeting.

Earlier, Sir Keir Starmer has warned Vladimir Putin to get serious about peace in Ukraine as he urged Western leaders to ramp up economic pressure to force him to the negotiating table. The prime minister accused the Russian leader of “playing games” over peace talks, as he prepared to host a virtual summit of around 25 countries on Saturday. The countries in the “coalition of the willing”, which include Britain, France, Australia and Canada, will discuss how to help Kyiv deter future Russian aggression in the event of any peace deal.

The Independent