I’m ready to push the nuclear button, says Keir Starmer: Labour leader insists he has ‘absolute’ support for Britain’s Trident deterrent and his party is ‘totally committed’ to national defence

Keir Starmer said he was prepared to use Britain’s nuclear weapons as he today outlined his party’s ‘total commitment’ to the Trident’s deterrent.

The Labor leader today delivered a tough speech on national security as he sought to armor his party’s traditional Achilles heel.

He unveiled a ‘nuclear deterrent triple lock’, which involved maintaining the continued deterrent at sea, building four missile submarines at Barrow-in-Furness and providing upgrades needed for the submarines to patrol the waters.

However, he faced questions about the commitment of members of his top team to nuclear weapons. His deputy, Angela Raynerand shade Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lammy both voted against renewing Trident eight years ago.

But speaking at the Fusiliers’ Museum in Manchester, Sir Keir said: ‘I lead this party. I changed this lot.

“If we have the privilege to serve, I will become Prime Minister of Great Britain. And I have made my commitment to this absolutely clear. And I have my entire shadow cabinet behind me.’

When asked if he was prepared to push the nuclear button, he added: ‘No one wanting to become Prime Minister would set out the circumstances in which it would be used. That would be irresponsible, but it is part of an essential part of our defense, so of course we must be prepared to use it.”

The Labor leader today delivered a tough speech on national security as he sought to armor his party’s traditional Achilles heel.

He unveiled a ‘nuclear deterrent triple lock’, which involved maintaining the continued deterrent at sea, building four missile submarines at Barrow-in-Furness and providing upgrades needed for the submarines to patrol the waters.

However, he faced questions about the commitment of members of his top team to nuclear weapons. His deputy, Angela Rayner, and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy both voted against renewing Trident eight years ago.

Sir Keir said he was “absolutely committed to peace” but that “for peace you have to be prepared to fight.”

The Labor leader said he believed both Labor and the Tories were committed to peace and protecting the nation.

He has tried to change perceptions of Labour’s defense stance after the party’s time under Jeremy Corbyn, a long-standing critic of NATO and Trident.

He was today joined by Shadow Defense Secretary John Healey and ten of the fourteen armed forces veterans standing in the Labor elections on July 4.

The Vanguard-class submarines will be replaced by the larger Dreadnought-class submarines in the 2030s.

Between £31 billion and £41 billion has been earmarked for the wider program to replace the Vanguard-class submarines, according to figures from the House of Commons Library.

Sir Keir said Britain would be ‘fit to fight’ under a Labor government.

The Labor leader said: ‘We have the smallest army since the time of Napoleon, at a time when other countries are firmly on a war footing. And so even as we work tirelessly for peace, we must be fit to fight.

“So let me be clear: this Labor Party is fully committed to the security of our nation, to our armed forces and, most importantly, to our nuclear deterrent.”

Sir Keir added: ‘The nuclear deterrent is the foundation of any plan to keep Britain safe, it is essential. That’s why Labor has announced a new triple lock commitment to our nuclear deterrent. We will maintain Britain’s continued deterrent at sea – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – and provide all necessary upgrades, and we will build four new nuclear submarines.”

Sir Keir highlighted the importance of industrial capacity for security in Ukraine, adding: ‘With Labour, Britain will be fit to fight.

“We will undertake a new strategic defense review within the first year of a Labor government. We are absolutely determined to spend 2.5 percent of GDP on defense as quickly as possible, because we know that our security is not only vital to our security today. , it is absolutely critical to our success going forward. National security and economic security must go hand in hand.’