Sir Keir says the nation is on a war footing as of now but it cannot take decades before we are ready to fight one
Up to 12 submarines to head off threats from Russia at sea.
1
New weapons and munitions factories to replace those stocks depleted by donations to Ukraine.
But will the billions needed to pay for all these new fighter jets, drones and hi-tech weaponry actually be found?
Defence chiefs say it will take investment of three per cent of GDP.
Yet Keir Starmer yesterday refused to put a timeline on achieving that.
By 2027 it will still be only 2.5 per cent — when experts say we need five per cent to re-arm properly.
If the Prime Minister has doubts about where to find the cash, he could try diverting money from less pressing areas — like binning Net Zero and free hotels for migrants.
A pity, too, that his Government is handing Mauritius £30billion on top of surrendering the Chagos Islands.
At the very least, the PM's uncertainty also throws the delivery time of new projects into doubt.
New subs, for example, already won't be serviceable until the late 2030s.
Sir Keir says the nation is on a war footing as of now.
Starmer 'loses control' as over 1,000 migrants cross Channel in biggest daily total of 2025 – as French cops watch on
But it cannot take decades before we are ready to actually fight one.
Stand up, PM
WHY isn't Britain among a group of nine European countries calling for urgent reform of the European Court of Human Rights?
Successive UK Governments have found themselves powerless to deport foreign rapists, murderers and drug-dealers because of rulings handed down in Strasbourg, while the number of illegal migrant crossings this year is likely to top 50,000.
The Prime Minister says he is 'angry' about this.
But seemingly not enough to join the likes of Italy and Denmark in demanding the faceless Euro judges are curbed.
Lords of woke
HE'S seen off the Cyborgs and doomed the Daleks.
But it seems Doctor Who could be killed off by the enemy within.
The show's obsession with gender, race and other identity politics is proving terminal to the Doctor's chances of regeneration.
And the public verdict has been succinctly savage.
'Rubbish, boring and woke,' say fed-up former fans.
Exterminating the scriptwriters is the only way to save the Time Lord.
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The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
UK ‘scales back' plans for 30,000-troop reassurance force in Ukraine
The UK has reportedly scaled back its plans to put troops in Ukraine, now offering a smaller 'reassurance force' to support peace efforts in the region. While a 30,000-strong group from countries that make up the coalition of the willing – a group of countries which have pledged support for Ukraine against Russia's aggression – had initially been floated, military chiefs are now said to have dropped the idea, instead favouring a smaller, 'more realistic' operation. It comes as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to No 10 on Thursday morning, as Europe rallies behind Ukraine. It comes amid fears the country could be shut out of any peace talks when Donald Trump and Russia's President Putin hold a historic summit on the future of the war in Alaska on Friday. The PM joined Donald Trump and European allies on a call to discuss the future of Ukraine on Wednesday, where he praised the US president's work to bring forward a 'viable' chance of an end to the devastating conflict. While Sir Keir had been in favour of a bigger coalition of the willing force, The Times reported that some European nations were concerned that such a large deployment to protect key Ukrainian sites was too risky. It is thought that the scaled-back force would not be sent to the frontline, instead providing logistical support, armament and training experts to support the regeneration of Ukraine's own forces. However, the role the US is expected to play is still unclear. Speaking after Wednesday's meeting, Sir Keir said: 'We're ready to support this, including from the plans we've already drawn up to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased. 'It is important to remind colleagues that we do stand ready also to increase pressure on Russia, particularly the economy, with sanctions and wider measures as may be necessary.' The PM said Friday's talks were 'hugely important', adding: 'As I've said personally to President Trump for the three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on, we haven't got anywhere near a prospect of actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire. 'And now we do have that chance, because of the work that the president has put in.' But concerns have been raised over Mr Zelensky's exclusion from Friday's meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin. Sir Keir and European leaders have repeatedly stated that discussions about Ukraine should not take place without it, amid concerns that the country is being sidelined. Asked if he decided not to invite Mr Zelensky to the meeting, Mr Trump said 'no, just the opposite', before adding that a second meeting with the Ukrainian president could take place afterwards. Mr Trump has threatened Russia with "severe consequences" if a ceasefire is rejected by its leader. At the weekend, the US president suggested a truce could involve some "swapping" of land. Putin is expected to use the summit to demand that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region, which it still controls. On Saturday, Mr Zelensky rejected any proposal that would compromise Ukraine's territorial integrity, something that is forbidden by the country's constitution.
Reuters
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Norway central bank keeps rate on hold, eyes cut this year
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BreakingNews.ie
28 minutes ago
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Zelenskiy to meet Starmer in London ahead of Trump-Putin summit
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due in London to meet British prime minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, to take stock ahead of US president Donald Trump's key talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Zelenskiy, who was in Germany on Wednesday, has been working with European leaders to press Trump not to allow Putin to carve up Ukraine's territory at the Alaska summit. Advertisement He is due to meet Starmer at 9.30am at the British prime minister's official residence, 10 Downing Street. On Wednesday, Trump joined a Germany-hosted virtual meeting with European leaders, including Zelenskiy, who sought to set red lines ahead of the summit on ending the war in Ukraine. Zelenskiy said he warned Trump that the Russian leader was "bluffing" about his desire to end the war. Trump later threatened "severe consequences" if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine and while he did not specify what the consequences could be, he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday proves fruitless. Advertisement The comments and the outcome of the virtual conference on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv ahead of the summit. Trump described the aim of his talks with Putin in Alaska as "setting the table" for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskiy. "If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one," Trump said. "I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between president Putin and president Zelenskiy and myself, if they'd like to have me there." Britain, France and Germany, the co-chairs of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing", set out their position on the pathway to a ceasefire in Ukraine in a statement released after Wednesday's virtual meeting.
