Sir Keir Starmer will put defense and national security at the heart of the Labor Party’s election pitch to voters during a visit to the North West on Monday.
Sir Keir will promise Labor to be the “party of national security” as he meets armed forces veterans and candidates.
He will also reaffirm the party’s commitment to the so-called “triple block of nuclear deterrence”, which includes a commitment to building the four new nuclear submarines at Barrow-in-Furness.
The Labor leader will also repeat his ambition to increase defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) – a target Rishi Sunak has said he wants to meet by 2030 – when economic conditions allow.
As well as the commitment to build four new submarines under the “triple lock”, Labor also pledges to maintain Britain’s ongoing deterrent at sea and provide any future upgrades needed for submarines to patrol the waters.
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The Vanguard-class submarines are due to be replaced by the larger Dreadnought-class submarines in the 2030s, with between £31 billion and £41 billion set aside for the upgrade, according to the House of Commons Library.
Sir Keir’s focus on defense is part of a wider strategy to convince voters that the party has changed since the days of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
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The Conservatives have consistently highlighted that the current Labor leader served in Mr Corbyn’s shadow cabinet when he held critical positions towards NATO and the Trident nuclear deterrent.
As part of an attempt to reassure voters, Sir Keir chose 14 former military personnel to represent the party in the elections.
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Sir Keir said: “National security will always come first in the new Labor Party I lead.
“Keeping our country safe is the foundation of the stability that the British people rightly expect from their government.
“My message to them is clear: Labor has changed. No longer the party of protest, Labor is the party of national security.
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“The excellent former employees putting themselves forward as Labor candidates are testament to this change.”
Grant Shapps, the defense secretary, said 12 current members of Sir Keir’s top team – including his deputy, Angela Rayner, and shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy – previously voted against Trident.
“We know that Rayner is now making the decisions in the Labor Party, so Starmer’s supposed support for Trident is meaningless,” he said.
“The Labor Party’s refusal to commit to 2.5% defense spending by 2030 shows that it is a danger to our national security. Uncertain times call for a clear plan and bold action to chart a course towards a secure future, only conservatives offer that.”
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
