Keir Starmer has said that the UK was facing a “new era in the threats that we face” as he referred to “new nuclear risks” and “growing Russian aggression in our waters, menacing our skies”.
Launching the UK’s defence review from a shipyard on the River Clyde in Glasgow the Prime Minister said that the defence review will provide “unity of purpose” to the nation’s armed forces and to the wider population.
The recommends expanding the UK’s role in NATO’s nuclear deterrence in Europe, and putting the country on a “prewar footing” with major investments in munitions, missile defences, drones, shipbuilding, and a civilian home guard.
Starmer told the audience that “we have to recognize things have changed..the threat we now face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War”
Yesterday it was revealed that the U.K. is looking at acquiring U.S.-made jets, such as the F-35A, that can launch B61 gravity nuclear bombs with yields ranging from 0.3 to 340 kilotons.
The jets under consideration would give the UK a second method of delivering nuclear weapons beyond the submarine-based Trident system, and would allow for a “clear and limited response” to Russian aggression, in a scenario below full-scale nuclear war.
Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines – which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons – to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s
The U.K. will also Six new munitions factories which are expected to create around 1000 new jobs
Concluding his speech, Starmer said: “The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves and to renew our nation. An investment in British pride and the British people.
“A defence dividend that will be felt in the pockets of working people and the prosperity of the country, securing growth for generations to come. Part of a new contract to unite the kingdom, a new spirit of service flowing from every part of society, from the supply lines to the front lines, everyone benefiting, everyone playing their role, doing their duty to the nation and to each other.
“To preserve our way of life and the things that we hold dear. Because when it comes to security and renewal, nothing works unless we all work together.”
