THE Prime Minister came to Glasgow and said he is increasing defence spending to put the UK in a state of “war-fighting readiness”.
Keir Starmer announced the details of the UK Defence Spending Review and said it would benefit workers in places like Govan, where he made his speech at the BAE shipyard.
Starmer said the government would increase defence spending to 2.5% by 2027 and set an ambition of 3% in the next parliament.
He described it as a "defence dividend" bringing jobs to industry and the supply chains.
It will, he said, support 25,000 jobs in Scotland and 400,000 across the UK.
He refused to say exactly how it would be funded or the impact on other spending, but said it 100% would be delivered.
Despite being asked if it would affect spending on public services, he focused on the security of the nation and the threat posed by adversaries.
Starmer said he wanted to: “Make Britain safer and stronger. A battle-ready, armour-clad nation with the strongest alliances and the most advanced capabilities equipped for the decades to come.”
He added: “We are moving to war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces.”
Starmer said: “I want to spell this out very simply. To achieve this, we're going to build.
“We're going to use this investment and this once-in-a-generation reform to drive renewal up and down the nation, creating new jobs, creating skills and opportunities, driving huge growth in industrial capacity.
“Let me give just one or two examples. I can announce today we are going to build at least six new munitions factories in the United Kingdom, generating over 1000 jobs.
“We will build thousands of new long-range weapons in the United Kingdom to boost European deterrence, supporting around 800 more jobs.”
Asked how it would be funded and if extra defence spending would mean less money for other priorities, the NHS and public services he turned to the impact of conflict on the economy.
Starmer said: “If you take the conflict in Ukraine, it is obvious it's had an impact on prices on the cost of living in this country.
“So there is no argument that somehow avoiding talking about conflict will help our economy here. It won't. It will make it worse.”
“The first duty of the Prime Minister is to keep our country safe, and that is a duty that I take extremely seriously.
“And with a huge cost of not keeping your country safe and secure. And that's a cost I'm not prepared to inflict on people of this country.”
He added: “The best way to pay for an increase in any public spending is to grow our economy.”
When asked again about people in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, where a by-election takes place this week, being “angry” at the government over cuts to winter fuel and welfare cuts, he repeated the argument about the necessity to keep the country safe and attacked the SNP and Reform UK.
Starmer said: “I think the safety and security of everyone in Scotland is absolutely paramount.
“I can't imagine anybody who seriously wants to be Prime Minister coming to Scotland and saying that the first priority is not the safety and security of Scotland.
“The SNP's position is to get rid of our nuclear weapons.
“The single most important part of our capabilities that has kept Scotland and the United Kingdom safe for many, many years, and at this moment, they renew their pledge to get rid of our nuclear deterrent. Imagine the effect that will have on the safety and security of the United Kingdom and of Scotland.
“Then I go to Reform, who want to spend tens of billions of pounds but won't say where the money is. Completely unfunded, uncosted.
“That is what Liz Truss did. That's what blew up the economy. That's what led to the infliction of harm or working people in Scotland.
He added: “I'm not prepared ever to let that be inflicted on Scotland ever again and that's why I'm absolutely clear in my priority. Which is the safety and security of everybody in Scotland and making sure that we never have the prospect in Scotland again of a Westminster government that blows up their finances.”
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