{"id":2258594,"date":"2024-06-03T13:17:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T17:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/british-politician-makes-major-announcement-on-uks-nuclear-weapons\/"},"modified":"2024-06-03T13:21:35","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T17:21:35","slug":"british-politician-makes-major-announcement-on-uks-nuclear-weapons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/british-politician-makes-major-announcement-on-uks-nuclear-weapons\/","title":{"rendered":"British Politician Reveals Significant News on UK&#8217;s Nuclear Arsenal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbritish-politician-makes-major-announcement-on-uks-nuclear-weapons%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2258594&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>British opposition\u200d leader Keir Starmer\u2062 reasserts the UK&#8217;s nuclear weapons commitment to \u200cdispel security concerns. Fronting the\u2064 July\u200b 4 election, \u2063he aims \u200bto uphold the country&#8217;s\u200b defense capabilities, distancing from previous party stances. Starmer&#8217;s pledge emphasizes maintaining nuclear deterrence as integral to national security, contrasting with critiques of defense weakness \u2064within Labour&#8217;s realm.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>  <\/p>\n<h2>British Politician Makes Major Announcement on UK&#8217;s Nuclear Weapons<\/h2>\n<p> <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/ap-reports\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/ap-reports\/%20\"><span>The Associated Press<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 3, 2024 at 7:04am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>British opposition leader Keir Starmer pledged Monday to keep the U.K.\u2019s nuclear weapons, seeking to dispel criticisms that his center-left Labour Party is soft on defense.<\/p>\n<p>Starmer is the current favorite to win Britain\u2019s July 4 election and become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uk-govt-lockdown-to-last-12-months-expect-repeated-vaccinations\/\" title=\"UK Govt: Lockdown to Last 12+ Months, Expect Repeated Vaccinations\">prime minister<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>His campaign is centered on his claim to have transformed the party since he replaced Jeremy Corbyn, a longtime opponent of nuclear weapons and critic of NATO, as Labour leader in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Starmer tried to convince voters they can trust Labour to safeguard the country\u2019s economy, borders and security \u2014 seeking to overturn the widely held view that Labour is weaker on security and more profligate with taxpayers\u2019 money than Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/obama-seen-meeting-foreign-leader-content-private-one-one-discussions-kept-secret\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rishi Sunak\u2019s<\/a> center-right Conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy commitment to the nuclear deterrent is absolute,\u201d Starmer said Monday during a campaign appearance at a military museum in Bury, northwest England.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody who aspires to be prime minister would set out the circumstances in which it would be used. That would be irresponsible, but it is there as part of a vital part of our defense, so of course we would have to be prepared to use it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Britain has been a nuclear power since the 1950s, and both Labour and Conservative governments have consistently supported atomic weapons.<\/p>\n<p>Since the 1990s, Britain\u2019s nuclear deterrent has consisted of four Royal Navy submarines armed with Trident missiles.<\/p>\n<p>Starmer said a Labour government would build the four new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russian-nuclear-submarines-on-par-with-us-top-general-says\/\" title=\"Russian Nuclear Submarines \u2018On Par\u2019 With US, Top General Says\">nuclear submarines<\/a> that the Conservatives have already committed to.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Will the world see nuclear war in your lifetime?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>He criticized the Conservatives for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-pass-rules-for-mccarthys-reign-with-one-gop-holdout\/\" title=\"House Republicans Pass Rules For McCarthy\u2019s Reign With One GOP Holdout\">defense spending cuts<\/a> that had given the U.K. \u201cthe smallest army since the time of Napoleon,\u201d the French leader who fought Britain 200 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>The Labour leader said the world had entered \u201ca new age of insecurity\u201d and \u201cnational security is the most important issue of our times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The schism between pro- and anti-nuclear forces was long a fault line in the Labour Party.<\/p>\n<p>It was Prime Minister Clement Attlee\u2019s Labour government that developed atomic weapons in the years following World War II, making Britain the world\u2019s third <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-turner-says-bidens-iran-policies-threaten-mideast-peace\/\" title=\"Rep. Turner says Biden\u2019s Iran policies threaten Mideast peace\">nuclear-armed state<\/a> after the United States and the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n<p>Starmer said his entire top team shared his commitment to the nuclear arsenal, even though several members, including deputy leader Angela Rayner and foreign affairs spokesman David Lammy, voted against renewing Trident in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>He also pledged that a Labour government would increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product, though he has not set a deadline.<\/p>\n<p>Sunak says his Conservatives will meet the target by 2030.<\/p>\n<p>Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said Starmer had delivered \u201canother empty speech.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy refusing to commit to 2.5 percent defense spending by 2030 he has been unable to show the clear and bold leadership this country needs in uncertain times,\u201d Shapps said.<\/p>\n<p>The Conservatives, who have been in office for 14 years, are trying to overcome a sense that voters want change.<\/p>\n<p>On July 4 voters across the U.K. will elect lawmakers to fill all 650 seats in the House of Commons. The leader of the party that can command a Commons majority \u2014 either alone or in coalition \u2014 will become prime minister.<\/p>\n<p>The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-info-44902\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/ap-reports\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44902\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44902\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44902\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44902\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world\u2019s stories, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/huge-breaking-news-in-georgia-132000-ballots-in-fulton-county-georgia-have-been-identified-which-are-likely-ineligible\/\" title=\"HUGE BREAKING NEWS IN GEORGIA - 132,000 Ballots in Fulton County, Georgia Have Been Identified Which Are Likely Ineligible\">breaking news<\/a> to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>British opposition leader Keir Starmer reassures the public of the UK&#8217;s nuclear arsenal commitment amid defense concerns. The Labour Party leader aims to counter perceptions of weakness on defense issues. Starmer, a frontrunner for the July 4 election, emphasizes the importance of maintaining the country&#8217;s nuclear capabilities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2258595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1272c3d5e54640aa9fc6e37c604bc170-scaled-e1717427448636.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2258594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1272c3d5e54640aa9fc6e37c604bc170-scaled-e1717427448636.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2258594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2258594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2258594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2258595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2258594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2258594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2258594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}