(Bloomberg) — Keir Starmer vowed Labour will preserve the UK’s nuclear deterrent if it’s voted into power, underlining how much he’s changed the opposition party since replacing Jeremy Corbyn as leader.
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Starmer on Friday will become the first Labour leader in three decades to see the UK’s nuclear submarines being built at Barrow-in-Furness in northwest England. According to a statement, he’ll pledge to channel defense investment to British businesses and set a “higher bar” for directing procurement abroad.
He’ll also vow to leverage Britain’s AUKUS partnership with the US and Australia to “ramp up local jobs” across Britain.
Labour leads the governing Conservatives by some 20 points in recent opinion polls, a stark change in fortunes since the party crashed to its worst defeat since the 1930s in the 2019 general election. Corbyn’s ambivalence toward the UK’s nuclear program and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was among several policy areas that cost Labour votes.
“Our nation’s defense must always come first,” Starmer said. “Labour’s commitment to our nuclear deterrent is total.”
By focusing on defense and stressing Labour’s commitment to make the nuclear deterrent the “bedrock” of plans to keep the UK safe, Starmer is treading on what’s traditionally seen as a Conservative strength as he seeks to appeal to a broad swathe of the electorate. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak must hold an election by the end of January, and has indicated it’s likely to be in the second half of this year.
Moreover, Labour plans to ramp up defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product “when conditions allow,” shadow Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard told Sky News on Friday. In July, NATO estimated British defense spending would be about 2.1% of GDP in 2023.
–With assistance from Isabella Ward.
(Updates with Pollard comment in final paragraph.)
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