Keir Starmer proclaims UK to ship warships to northern waters in main safety transfer
The UK will deploy its carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and High North region this year as the PM pledged Britain would defend its allies if called upon
Britain’s warships are heading to the North Atlantic(Image: PA)
The UK will deploy its carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and High North region this year, Keir Starmer has announced.
It comes amid growing security fears over Russia and China in the region, with Donald Trump alarming world leaders with threats to take over Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, a Nato ally.
The announcement came in a speech at the Munich Security conference, where the PM also warned Europe must be ready to “fight” to deter Russian aggression in the event of a peace deal with Ukraine.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer warns Europe must curb reliance on US and avoid Brexit-style ‘surrender’
The Prime Minister told European leaders they must not dither as “Russia has proved its appetite for aggression”, and pledged Britain would defend its allies if called upon.
Announcing the warships, he said: “I can announce today that the UK will deploy our carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and High North region this year, led by the HMS Prince of Wales, operating alongside the US, Canada and other NATO allies in a powerful show of our commitment to Euro-Atlantic security”.
Earlier, the PM said: “To break the convention of a thousand speeches, we are not at a crossroads. The road ahead is straight and it is clear. We must build our hard power, because that is the currency of the age. We must be able to deter aggression , and, yes, if necessary, we must be ready to fight.
“Because we know that in a dangerous world, we would not take control by turning inward, we would surrender it, and I won’t let that happen.
“That’s why I devote time as Prime Minister to Britain’s leadership on the world stage, and that’s why I’m here today, because I am clear there is no British security without Europe and no European security without Britain. That is the lesson of history, and is today’s reality as well.”
Mr Starmer also insisted the UK would honour the Nato commitment to defend its allies if called upon. One of the alliance’s founding principles, Article 5, is that an attack on one Nato member is an attack on all.
US President Donald Trump has questioned whether the US’s European partners would answer the call if it were made today.
Earlier Defence Secretary John Healey said Britain would spend £400million developing long-range missiles this year to bolster European security. The cash will go towards next generation replacements of Storm Shadow missiles, which have been used by Ukraine to fire deep into Russia.
