PM’s first duty is ‘to keep the country safe,’ says Sir Keir Starmer after £30m attack drone deal announced
Sir Keir Starmer told LBC today that the Prime Minister’s ‘first duty’ is to ‘keep the country safe’.
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On the same day that Britain announced a deal to send £30 million of attack drones to Ukraine, Sir Keir said he would not become another ‘austerity’ Prime Minister.
It comes days after he slashed the foreign aid budget in order to boost defence spending.
Sir Keir told LBC today: “It is the first duty of the Prime Minister is to keep the country safe. And that's why I made the announcement I did last week. Fully funded, fully costed and already accounted for in the in the financial books.”
Britain today announced a deal to send £30 million of attack drones to Ukraine, as Defence Secretary John Healey visits Washington for a meeting with his US counterpart.
The loitering munitions, which are designed to monitor an area before striking it, should help Ukraine tackle Russian aggression in the Black Sea.
The Altius 600-m and Altius 700-m drones are supplied by Anglo-American company Anduril, which Defence Secretary John Healey visited on Wednesday. The UK has already provided more than 10,000 drones to Ukraine.
It came before talks with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, with whom he is expected to discuss the decision.
The deal is backed by the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine (IFU).
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Mr Healey said: "We are determined to achieve a secure, lasting peace in Ukraine, which means putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to prevent any return to Russian aggression.
"The UK has already provided more than 10,000 drones to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, which have proved vital in disrupting Russian troop advances and targeting positions behind the frontline.
"With a £2.26 billion loan from seized Russian assets, plus £1.6 billion worth of air defence missiles announced for Ukraine in the last week, the UK is continuing to show leadership in securing a lasting peace for Ukraine.
"The work with Anduril UK been led by Defence Equipment & Support - the procurement arm of the MOD - on behalf of the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). The fund now stands at more than £1.3 billion worth of pledges from 10 other countries, of which the UK has contributed £500 million.
"Ukraine’s armed forces will take delivery of the drones, launchers and spare parts over the coming months."
The announcement comes amid concerns that the US move to halt intelligence-sharing with Ukraine will affect the country's ability to use western weaponry and deprive it of advanced information about incoming threats. Trump administration officials have said positive talks between Washington and Kyiv mean it may only be a short suspension.
American intelligence is vital for Ukraine to track Russian troop movements and select targets.
France said on Thursday that it had begun supplying Ukraine with military intelligence.
The UK and France are set to decide on a proposed Ukraine peace deal that they will take to the US. Russia has rejected such a plan, describing it as an attempt to give Ukraine a chance to strengthen its military.
Mr Zelenskyy is in Brussels on Wednesday for talks with EU leaders.