Keir Starmer said Russia is not serious about peace and the UK has to be ready as he warned the world has entered a new era
Keir Starmer will this morning unveil plans to put the UK on a war footing after issuing a fresh warning about Vladimir Putin.
The Prime Minister will speak at around 10am in Scotland as he announces the long-awaited Strategic Defence Review. He told the BBC’s Today Programme: “Russia has shown in recent weeks that it’s not serious about peace, and we have to be ready.”
He said the review will focus on Britain’s readiness for war, stating: “The world has changed and we are entering a new era when it comes to defence and security.
“I think that’s a common feeling across Europe and more broadly there is greater instability on defence and security than there has been for many, many years, and greater threats, and that’s obviously having a direct impact back into the United Kingdom. Hence the review.”
He said he “very much” hopes he will not be forced to send British troops to war in the face of Russian aggression. But he said the UK “cannot ignore” the threat Putin poses.
Earlier defence minister Luke Pollard has said the UK is “certainly not at war at the moment, but it’s also true that we’re certainly not at peace”. He said strong action was needed to prevent conflict, telling BBC Breakfast: I think all your viewers will have seen the appalling scenes from Ukraine over recent years. They’ll be aware that the world is more dangerous. They’ll be aware that to secure our freedom and our economic prosperity, we have to invest in our national security.
“It’s the first duty of any government to keep our country safe, but it’s also the first mission of this Labour Government to grow our economy by investing in defence. We’re creating jobs in every single part of United Kingdom.”
He went on: “I don’t want us to go to war. I want us to deter aggression. That is precisely what the defence review sets out to do today.”
A long-awaited strategic defence review will be published today, with the Government commiting to build 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines and invest £15billion in its warhead programme. Defence Secretary John Healey said last night that Britain “must act decisively to face down Russian aggression”.