Spending on defence will reach the Government's set target of 2. Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons that Britons had the right to be secure, and peace came through strength. He said: "We must find courage in our history, courage in who we are as a nation, because courage is what our own era now demands of us.
A strong step from an enduring partner. Sir Keir added: "We should not pretend that any of this has been easy. Working people have already felt the cost of Russian actions through rising prices and bills. He told MPs Nato would remain the bedrock of national security and the UK must reject any "false choice between our allies".
Sir Keir explained: "When I meet President Trump, I will be clear I want this relationship to go from strength to strength, but strength in this world also depends on a new alliance with Europe. He said the Government would seek peace not conflict, adding: "We believe in the power of diplomacy to deliver that end. That, of course, is most pressing in Ukraine. But the second should be whether it improves the conditions of the British people.
We will translate defence spending into British growth, British jobs, British skills, British innovation. We will use the full powers of the Procurement Act to rebuild our industrial base. Sir Keir explained how the additional funding for defence would be raised - via a cut to UK overseas aid. He said: "In the short term, it can only be funded through hard choices, and in this case that means we will cut our spending on development assistance, moving from 0.
She highlighted the UK's support for Kyiv before adding: "It is also true that overall the West has not done enough to support Ukraine. Mrs Badenoch said it remained for Ukraine to decide its future, explaining: "We want this terrible war to end, but Ukraine needs to be at the negotiating table and, like President Zelensky, we hope for a lasting, viable peace.
