Latest news with #SirTonyRadakin
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
British Armed Forces chief praised China in secret speech
The head of the Armed Forces praised China in a secret speech in Beijing, it has emerged. Adml Sir Tony Radakin hailed the Communist state as a 'responsible nuclear power' in an unpublished address in April. The Chief of the Defence Staff was in China on a visit that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) planned not to disclose to the public. In the speech, which was only released after a Freedom of Information request, Sir Tony said Britain 'respects China'. The Armed Forces chief also told the audience of trainee Chinese military officers that Britain desired a 'constructive relationship, and an open dialogue between us', The Times reported. 'The more we talk, the more we will find our common interests and approaches to transnational challenges,' he said. The MoD and China's embassy in London declined to release the speech publicly. Sir Tony accused Russia of 'irresponsible nuclear rhetoric' in the speech, which he said should be of concern to both Britain and China. 'This [Ukraine war] is more than struggle over borders on a map. It is a challenge to global order. The chaos and instability unleashed by Russia is being felt by countries near and far,' he told the People's Liberation Army National Defence University in Beijing. The Armed Forces chief was criticised for the visit to China. Act of 'appeasement' It marked the first time in 10 years that a UK official of his rank had travelled to Beijing for talks. Sir Tony and members of China's central military commission discussed 'issues of common concern' during the visit on Wednesday, according to the country's defence ministry. However, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, described the Chief of the Defence Staff's trip as ' terrible ', and an act of 'appeasement'. Sir Tony said he had visited China to discuss 'a range of security issues'. 'We agreed that, in an unstable world, we must play our part as responsible nations with global interests, and we reflected on the importance of military-to-military communications,' he said. The MoD did not appear to publicise the visit. The last time a chief of the defence staff visited China was in 2015, when Gen Sir Nicholas Houghton travelled to the country during a period of good relations. Gen Liu Zhenli, a member of China's central military commission, was among those who held talks with Sir Tony during his visit. His trip followed a similar visit by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, to the country at the end of last year. Sir Keir Starmer has yet to visit Beijing as Prime Minister, although it is understood a trip is being planned.
The Sun
01-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
British fighter jets to carry nuclear weapons in face of ‘new era of threat' of Russia
BRITAIN looks set to introduce jets armed with nuclear weapons for the first time as part of the latest defensive expansion against Russia. The government is in talks with US officials over the move, which would be the UK's biggest deterrent development since the Cold War. 6 6 6 Sir Keir Starmer will launch a strategic defence review on Monday as the government looks to help Europe counter Putin's threat. The review points to the UK expanding its contribution to NATO 's nuclear deterrence across the continent. It also recommends that the country's defence industry should be on standby for rearmament. Defence Secretary John Healey and Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, head of the armed forces, are leading talks with the Pentagon. They are looking to purchase fighter jets capable of carrying gravity bombs with lower power than conventional nuclear weapons. Britain's tactical nukes and V-bombers were decommissioned in favour of the Vanguard submarine programme after the Cold War. Investment in the aircraft would mean the UK would be able to launch nuclear weapons from both air and sea. At present, the military is only able to launch from one platform. Whereas US forces possess nuclear launch capabilities from land, air and sea. Britain will be wiped off the map with nukes unless it stops helping Ukraine, warns Putin's guru 'Professor Doomsday' American-built F-35 A Lightning stealth jets look to be the target for the government, with the jets having been recently procured by German military forces. They have a range of almost 900 miles and are capable of carrying a B61 thermonuclear gravity bomb. Radakin is understood to view the move as the UK's number one defence priority. Speaking to The Times, the Defence Secretary admitted that nuclear risks across the globe are rising. He said: "The world is definitely becoming more dangerous. Nuclear risks are rising. "For the first time since the Cold War, we face seriously increasing risks of state-on-state conflict. "The lesson from Ukraine is that a country's armed forces are only as strong as the industry behind them.' It comes as the government insisted it would reach its target to hike defence spending to three per cent GDP by 2034. Writing in The Sun on Sunday, Sir Keir said the time had come to 'transform how we defend these islands'. 6 6 6 He added: 'We will meet this moment head on — by mounting the kind of response not seen before in most of our lifetimes. "We will restore Britain's war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our Armed Forces. "We are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces. 'So we must be ready to fight and win. After all, the best way to prevent conflict is by preparing for it.' Revealing details of the long-awaited Strategic Defence Review, he revealed the UK will move to wartime levels of arms production by building six new munitions factories. The £1.5billion investment will create or support nearly 2,000 jobs across the country.
