LONDON: British opposition leader Keir Starmer will pledge on Monday to secure the country’s nuclear deterrent, trying to reassure voters before an election that the nation would be safe in the hands of a Labour government.
Describing Labour as the “party of national security,” Starmer will turn his campaign focus to defense, seen as a weak spot for Britain’s main opposition party under his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, a long-time supporter of nuclear disarmament.
With conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, defense is taking center stage before the July 4 election, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying last month that only his Conservative Party could keep voters safe in an increasingly dangerous world.
“National security will always come first in the changed Labour Party I lead. Keeping our country safe is the bedrock of stability that the British people rightly expect from their government,” Starmer said in a statement.
“My message to them is clear: Labour has changed. No longer the party of protest, Labour is the party of national security.”
He will make a commitment to a so-called “nuclear deterrent triple lock” — constructing four new nuclear submarines, maintaining a continuous at-sea deterrent and the delivery of all future upgrades needed for those submarines.
Even though Labour is far ahead in the polls, officials say they still need to convince thousands of undecided voters to back what Starmer repeatedly calls a “changed party,” one which can be trusted on defense, health and tackling immigration.
The Conservatives believe they have a stronger defense offering, with a pledge to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP a year by 2030 — a target Labour says it wants to match but only when “resources allow.”
UK’s Starmer seeks to reassure voters on defense with nuclear deterrent pledge
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UK’s Starmer seeks to reassure voters on defense with nuclear deterrent pledge
- Keeping our country safe is the bedrock of stability that the British people rightly expect from their government,” Starmer said in a statement
Pope Leo XIV calls for global truce on Christmas Day
- Pope Leo expressed “great sadness” that “apparently Russia rejected a request” for truce
CASTEL GANDOLFO: Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday called for a global truce on Christmas Day, expressing “great sadness” that “apparently Russia rejected a request” for one.
“I am renewing my request to all people of good will to respect a day of peace — at least on the feast of the birth of our Savior,” Leo told reporters at his residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has repeatedly rejected calls for a ceasefire saying it would only give a military advantage to Ukraine.
“Among the things that cause me great sadness is the fact that Russia has apparently rejected a request for a truce,” the pope said.
Referring to conflicts in general, Leo said: “I hope they will listen and there will be 24 hours of peace in the whole world,” he added.
Ukraine on Tuesday pulled out troops from a town in the east of the country after fierce battles with Russian forces as relentless strikes by Moscow killed three civilians and cut power to thousands in freezing winter temperatures.
There was no sign of an imminent breakthrough after top negotiators from both Russia and Ukraine were in Miami last weekend for separate meetings with US officials seeking a deal to end almost four years of fighting.
Pope Leo met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month.
Asked if he would accept Zelensky’s invitation to visit Ukraine, Leo later said “I hope so,” but cautioned it was not possible to say when such a trip would be possible.
He also said that seeking peace in Ukraine without European diplomatic involvement was “unrealistic” and warned US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan risked a “huge change” in the transatlantic alliance.
