Starmer has bought nuclear bomb-carrying jets - what does this mean for UK defence?

ITV News

19 hours ago

The UK already flies F-35B jets, which operate from the Royal Navy 's aircraft carriers.
Now the government is to swap out at least a dozen F-35Bs from its next order for F-35As which fly from conventional runways, have a greater range and which can carry American B61 tactical - or battlefield - nuclear weapons.
These can deliver a smaller nuclear yield than the strategic nuclear weapons carried by the Royal Navy's Trident system.
The theory is that the smaller yield allows NATO to respond in kind to the use of battlefield nuclear weapons by an opponent like Russia.
Without lower yield nuclear weapons, the choice would be between a conventional response which might not work as a deterrent, and using a strategic nuclear weapon which would be a massive - potentially world ending - nuclear escalation.
It's believed the United States stores around a hundred tactical nuclear weapons across six airbases in western Europe.
The government isn't saying where the nuclear bombs for these new jets will be stored.
Britain's nuclear warheads are built in Aldermaston in Berkshire and stored at Coulport near Faslane, but the new aircraft will be based at the other end of the country at RAF Marham in Norfolk.
One option for storage is RAF Lakenheath which held American nuclear weapons until 2008 and where the US Airforce has reportedly been refurbishing aircraft shelters with underground vaults.
The big question is who would command these nuclear armed jets. The answer is - not us.
While the new jets belong to the RAF and the US retains 'absolute control and command' of the nuclear bombs, any mission combining the two would have to be approved by the 31 members of NATO 's Nuclear Planning Group.
As a member the UK would always have the option to opt out.
But this decision is controversial. Campaigners are accusing the government of nuclear proliferation and are already planning protests at airbases.