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Starmer’s comments come before visit to Barrow, where he is to promise nuclear deterrent is ‘bedrock’ of security planLabour will aim to raise the UK’s defence spending to 2.5% of GDP “as soon as resources allow”, Keir Starmer has said.The party leader told the i newspaper that defence was “the number one issue for any government” in a world where international threats had risen...

Activists say public debate has been shut down by overhyped claims of imminent war since Ukraine invasionThe Swedish flag will be raised on Monday outside Nato’s HQ in Brussels. But while the prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, basks in the glow of his country finally joining the western military alliance after months of delays, Sweden’s once thriving peace movement is smarting.Once widely visible in debates...

Warnings that war in Gaza and Iran’s lack of cooperation on its nuclear programme are strengthening hand of hardlinersThere are growing fears among diplomats in the US and Europe that Iran’s largely unmonitored nuclear programme and the destabilisation caused by the Gaza conflict are strengthening the hand of Iranian factions that back the development of nuclear weapons.The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, has reiterated in...

Dummy missile’s first-stage boosters reportedly did not ignite in test off coast of Florida last monthLabour has called for assurances over the effectiveness of Britain’s nuclear deterrent after “concerning” reports about a Trident missile test failure.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that an “anomaly occurred” during an exercise that took place on 30 January onboard the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Vanguard. Continue reading...

North Korea’s leader has increased his displays of military aggression but analysts are split on whether it’s a sign of electoral interference or a war footing When a highly militarised dictatorship fires artillery shells in the direction of its neighbour, which it has just denounced as its “greatest enemy”, then tests cruise missiles and underwater nuclear attack drones, it is reasonable to believe that...

Missiles could be placed at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk in case of potential war between Nato and RussiaThe US is planning to station nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in 15 years amid a growing threat from Russia, according to a report. Warheads three times as strong as the Hiroshima bomb would be located at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk under the...