Keir Starmer warns UK should not take eyes off Putin from top-secret Vanguard sub go to
The Mirror was given rare access to join Keir Starmer as he boarded a nuclear-armed Vanguard-Class submarine off the coast of Scotland as it returned from a record 206-day deployment
Keir Starmer has said Britain’s nuclear deterrent is the front line of our defence as he warned the UK must not take its eyes off Russia amid the Iran crisis.
The Mirror was given rare access to join the Prime Minister as he boarded a nuclear-armed Vanguard-Class submarine off the west coast of Scotland as it returned from a record 206-day deployment.
His top-secret visit to greet Royal Navy submariners on “Day Zero” – their return to UK waters from their lengthy patrol – comes at a moment of sky-high global tensions.
And his decision to showcase Britain’s nuclear arsenal will serve as a fresh warning to Vladimir Putin, as the Russian leader seeks the cover of the conflict in Iran to continue his aggression.
Mr Starmer said the nuclear-armed submarines were the front line of Britain’s defence, and served to warn off Putin and other threats.
READ MORE: Inside UK’s four Vanguard-Class submarines – including £6billion underwater nuclear monster
Speaking to the Mirror from Faslane, he said: “It’s the most important capability we have as a country, and it has kept us safe for many years. It is committed to Nato, and therefore it’s not just kept the UK safe, it’s helped to keep Nato safe.
“So it is really important to come on Day Zero and meet the crew coming off who’ve worked really hard for a considerable period of time and say thank you to them for what they’ve done for our country. I find it quite humbling to do that.”
It is only the second time the PM has visited the Vanguard submarines which serve as Britain’s nuclear deterrent. One of the four vessels is on patrol at all times armed with deadly Trident missiles, providing the continuous at-sea deterrent that forms a pillar of the UK’s defence strategy.
The last PM to do so was David Cameron in 2013.
One of any PM’s first acts after winning the general election is to hand-write four identical letters of last resort to the commanders of Britain’s nuclear submarines.
These letters are kept sealed on board the vessels, containing instructions for what to do in the event of a nuclear strike that destroys the British government.
Describing this sobering moment, Mr Starmer said: “There’s a huge responsibility in the whole way the nuclear capability is set up, the writing of the letters.
“But I think it’s important for every Prime Minister to go and visit one of the subs to get a proper sense of the place where men and women, the ones we’ve seen today, are responsible for carrying into effect the instruction of a Prime Minister.”
British forces recently foiled suspected attempts by Russian submarines to spy on undersea cables and pipelines in the north Atlantic, fuelling suspicions Moscow gathering intelligence to prepare itself in case hostilities break out.
In a major escalation in November, a Russian spy ship shone lasers at RAF pilots tracking its movements after it was spotted lurking on the edge of UK waters.
The PM recently authorised British military personnel to storm Russian shadow ships entering British waters, to prevent the ageing fleet of oil tankers trying to evade sanctions to fuel the Kremlin’s war machine.
Mr Starmer said: “We’ve got a war on two fronts. We’ve obviously had a lot of focus on the war in Iran in the last two months but the war in Ukraine is ongoing, and the threat from Russia is real, not just in Ukraine, but to us as well.
“It’s very important that we understand that and don’t lose sight of that. The two are linked.
“Russia, Putin, will feel that the pressure is less on him now to come to a deal in relation to Ukraine, and we absolutely have to be alive to that threat.”
The PM said Britain’s nuclear capabilities had acted to warn off Putin, saying: “Absolutely. It has kept us safe for a very, very long period.”
It comes as pressure mounts on Mr Starmer over defence spending after warnings from military chiefs about Britain’s readiness for war.
The PM has already promised to hike military spending to 2.5% of GDP by next year, rising to 3% in the next Parliament. He also joined Nato allies in committing to hit 3.5% on core defence by 2035.
But military leaders have warned of a £28billion shortfall in existing plans after successive Tory PMs hollowed out the armed forces.
And delays to the publication of a long-awaited defence investment plan has led to a drumbeat of calls to go further, including a blistering intervention by ex-Nato chief Lord Robertson, who accused the Government of “corrosive complacency”.
Mr Starmer pushed back at the criticism, saying: “This Parliament we’ll spend £280bn on defence. This year we’ll spend £5 billion more on defence, and that is in marked contrast to what happened under the last government.
“They literally hollowed out our armed forces. We are picking that up, and we’re repairing it. We’re putting that right.
“Now, given the level of threat there is in the world, we do need to go further and faster, as I said in my Munich Conference [speech].
“That will mean increased spending, but it also means coordinating and collaborating more closely with others, particularly in Europe, and that is why I’ve argued strongly that there needs to be a stronger European element of Nato, and the UK needs to play a leading part in that.”
As the Iran crisis continues to cause turmoil around the world, Mr Starmer underlined his commitment to staying out of the conflict.
He declined to repeat Rachel Reeves’s warning that the US had made a mistake, saying: “The approach I’ve taken is to say that – and I look at this very much from the position of the British Prime Minister – my responsibility, my duty, is to act in the British national interest, and I will act in the British national interest whatever the pressure that’s put on me and by whoever it’s put on me, and I’m not going to yield.”
The UK would be involved in defensive action to get vessels moving safely through the vital waterway, he said.
“But we’re not going to get dragged into the war, and we’re not going to join the blockade [of the Strait of Hormuz],” he said.
