ClimaTech
ClimaTech, the two-day intensive conference set for May 13-14 at the MGM Music Hall, will feature dynamic panel discussions, kicking off with a keynote speech by Gov. Maura Healey. Open to the public, academia, government, and students, this event will address climate innovation, as attendees engage with leaders driving that impactful change. Following Gov. Healey's addressing affordability in climate tech and how private and public sectors can work together, panels include AI for Earth; Clean Mobility Panel; Bridging Health, Bio, and Climate; and From Vision to Velocity, the closing discussion with financial leaders on how each layer of the capital stack plays a role in advancing climate technologies and infrastructure.
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Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
The SNP must play its part in British national security
Defence imperatives must always take priority over the instinct towards moral posturing by the politicians of the day Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The UK's defence strategy must evolve in tandem with the nature of threats to our national security. This is the purpose of the strategic defence review, which is to be published today, pledging £1.5 billion to set up at least six factories and support up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Defence Secretary John Healey has said the measures will see spending on munitions hit £6bn in the course of this parliament and support around 1,800 jobs throughout the country. Defence Secretary John Healey appearing on the BBC1 current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg | PA Ahead of today's publication, Mr Healey could not have been more plain about where the biggest threat to national security lies. 'This is a message to Moscow,' he said. 'This is Britain standing behind, making our armed forces stronger but making our industrial base stronger, and this is part of our readiness to fight, if required.' As Mr Healey also observed, the world is a more uncertain place in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and daily cyber attacks from Moscow on the UK. Increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and 3 per cent in the next parliament will play an important role in bolstering both UK defence and deterrence. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Government must accept that it too has a part to play in national defence, and one that should transcend party politics. 'We stick to principles' But long-standing SNP policy of not providing funding for munitions means the Scottish Government will not help Rolls-Royce create a specialist welding centre in Glasgow. The Scottish Government's Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: 'The key difference here between ourselves and the UK government is that when we have principles, we stick to them.' The Scottish Government's stance was branded 'student union politics' by Mr Healey, and former SNP MP Stewart McDonald urged his party to have a 'renewed defence debate that moves us beyond our old slogans and comfort zones'.
Metro
16 hours ago
- Metro
Britain to spend £1,500,000,000 on new weapons factories in 'message' to Putin
The UK must be 'prepared' for a real-world attack by Russia, the government said today. An extra £6 billion investment for military capabilities has now been announced, with Defence Secretary John Healey saying the money would also be spent on drones, ships and 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons. Around £1.5 billion of it will go to building at least six new factories to build weapons, producing things like explosives and pyrotechnics. They will operate on an 'always on' basis meaning production can be easily scaled up if needed, the government said. More will be invested in tech to stop tens of thousands of Russian cyberattacks. It comes as Russia and Ukraine continue to bitterly wage war, with some of the worst attacks seen so far, even as peace is constantly claimed to be within reach. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sign up here. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Mr Healey said that the UK's new spending was a 'message to Moscow', and was necessary to show that the country would not be an easy target. He said that the change would 'equip our forces for the future' as well as creating 1,800 jobs around the country. He told the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg programme that Russia is 'attacking the UK daily', with some 90,000 cyber attacks from state-linked sources detected over the last two years. Asked if he expected a form of real-world attack by Russia on the UK in the coming years, he said: 'We have to be prepared. Nato has to be prepared. We see Putin in Ukraine trying to redraw international boundaries by force … it's part of the growing Russian aggression.' Tomorrow, the Strategic Defence Review – a report into the country's capabilities and weaknesses – will be published, after it was commissioned a year ago, when Labour took power. It will set out how the government intends to counter these threats, including plans to reach 2.5% of GDP spending on defence by 2027, and an 'ambition' to hit 3% in the next parliament, after pressure from US president Donald Trump that Nato members should be spending at least 5%. A cyber command to counter online threats is also being set up as part of the review. And more than £1.5 billion in extra funding will go to urgent repairs to military homes, such as fixing boilers and roofs, and tackling damp. This isn't part of the plans currently. In fact, the Army is shrinking, because more people are leaving than joining. 'The first job is to reverse that trend and then I want to see in the next parliament our ability to start to increase the number,' Mr Healey said. In January this year, there were 71,151 regular soldiers in the British Army. It comes after the Conservative government introduced the 'Future Soldier' change in 2021, aimed at reducing the size of the force to 73,000 to cut costs and better respond to modern warfare. But Mr Healey said there were now even less than that, but he doesn't expect progress towards raising the number until the next parliament. Writing in the Mirror, Defence minister Alistair Cairns said there were plans to increase cadet numbers by 30%, with new opportunities for young people to join the armed forces. Tory politicians welcomed the plans, but said more was needed sooner. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said he was 'sceptical' as to whether all the money would end up being spent, and told Sky News: 'We think that 2034 is a long time to wait given the gravity of the situation'. On the other hand, some are unhappy with what it shows about government priorities. In February, the Green Party wrote an open letter to Mr Healey saying there should be an 'increase in spending on diplomacy, peace-building and overseas aid in order to improve our security', not just on building bombs. Ellie Chowns MP said it was 'horrifying' that cuts to the international aid budget would help increase defence spending, saying: 'How many people will fall ill or die because they cannot access health services; how many more will go hungry? And how many children will be denied an education as a result of this decision? 'Cutting aid risks making the world more volatile and more dangerous, not safer. Real security means tackling hunger, poverty, and climate chaos.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Seven dead in train crash after 'explosions' destroy bridges on Ukraine border MORE: Schoolgirl, 13, killed after javelin went through her eye in PE lesson pictured MORE: At least 13 newborns trafficked abroad to 'infertile' parents for £510,000
The National
19 hours ago
- The National
SNP criticise Labour's plans to increase UK's defence spending
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had previously outlined that a 3% spend on defence by 2034 is an 'ambitious' target, a view reportedly still held by some senior Whitehall officials. However, John Healey has said it is now a certainty. The Defence Secretary's comments mean the Labour Government would be committed to spending more than £10 billion extra on defence every year, despite criticism over proposed cuts to public services. In February, Starmer announced that the UK would increase spending on defence up to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027, raiding the international development budget, in a move which was branded by the Scottish Government as 'deeply disappointing'. READ MORE: Scottish minister hits back at Defence Secretary 'student union politics' jibe The SNP MP Dave Doogan said Labour are 'unable to read the room' following Healey's comments that the UK Government will spend 3% of GDP on defence by the next parliament. Doogan (below), the SNP's defence spokesperson at Westminster, said: '3% by 2034 shows how broke the UK is - this is a decade after Labour have taken power. (Image: House of Commons) 'Lead times for new equipment and systems will add further delay to Labour's tardy defence timescales. 'This 'jam tomorrow' defence posture won't fix crumbling defence housing or the lamentable recruitment and retention crisis." He added: 'Ballooning nuclear enterprise costs, so high now the government has delayed issuing the new rolling ten year cost of Trident, will consume much of any new defence cash. 'We are firmly in an era of increasingly contested global ambition and global instability where some traditional allies seem increasingly at odds with European values and ambitions and Labour are unwilling or unable to read the room.' The UK Government's 10-year defence plan on Britain's defence spending, which is due to be announced on Monday, was reportedly due to be published during VE Day week earlier this month but had been delayed because of rows with the Treasury. One source told The Times there had been 'discontent that the Ministry of Defence is using it to push for more defence spending'. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has estimated that reaching 3% of GDP by the next parliament would cost the UK an additional £17.3bn in 2029-30. Doogan's comments come after Healey (below) said Labour's plans to increase military spending are sending a 'message to Moscow'. The UK Government pledged £1.5bn to set up at least six factories and said it would support the procurement of up to 7000 UK-built long-range weapons in response to the strategic defence review (SDR), which is to be published on Monday. The new funding will see UK munitions spending hit £6bn during this parliament, with Starmer calling the review a 'radical blueprint'. The Prime Minister also pledged a 'wave of investments' in shipbuilding, drone technology and cyber defences. Healey said the £6bn of investment would 'equip our forces for the future' and 'create jobs in every part of the UK'. 'This is a message to Moscow as well," he told the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg programme. "This is Britain standing behind, making our armed forces stronger but making our industrial base stronger, and this is part of our readiness to fight, if required. Healey added that Russia is 'attacking the UK daily' as part of some 90,000 cyber attacks from state-linked sources that were directed at the UK's defence over the last two years.
