The Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer claimed the country is ‘less safe & less secure’ after 14 years of Conservative government on a visit to Bury this morning and said he would be prepared to push the nuclear button
In a move to counteract Tory claims that a Labour Government would be soft on defence, Starmer appeared at the Lancashire Fusiliers Museum in the Town Centre with a number of veterans
During his speech he said the UK was now entering a “new age of insecurity” and pledged that national security is the “most important issue of our times” and if a Labour government is elected it will become “our solemn responsibility”.
Sir Keir honoured those who fought and died on D Day ahead of the 80th anniversary commemorations later this week
A representative of the Royal British Legion gave Sir Keir a poppy pin commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day,
The party says that the British army is now the smallest since the Napoleonic wars while veterans families are forced to live in damp, mouldy accommodation, reliant on benefits and food banks.
During his speech the Labour leader announced that he will build four new nuclear submarines and insisted that Labour is 100 per cent committed to maintaining the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent.
Asked yes or no if he would push the button, the Labour leader said: “On the nuclear deterrent, it is fundamental, it is a vital part of our defence and of course that means we have to be prepared to use it.
“Now nobody who aspires to be prime minister would set out the circumstances in which it would be used. That would be irresponsible.
“But it is there as a part, a vital part, of our defence. So of course we would have to be prepared to use it.”
He however failed to put a deadline on his pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP,instead saying that within the first year of a Labour government we will carry out a new strategic defence review.
“We are absolutely committed to spending 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence as soon as possible because we know our security isn’t just vital for our safety today, it is absolutely central to our success for the future.”
