Ukraine is the ‘test of our times’ and the US is vital in securing peace, Keir Starmer tells MPs – UK politics live
Starmer says past week has shown why taking sides between US and Europe would be ‘totally unserious’
Keir Starmer is speaking now.
He says MPs face “the test of our times”.
And he says he situation Britain faces shows how national security is combined with economic security.
He says the deal he announced last night symbolishes the new era – allowing Ukraine to use £1.6bn to buy missiles that will be made in Belfast. That will put Ukraine in the strongest possibl, while helping UK jobs.
He says what happened in the Oval Office between President Trump and President Zelenskyy was “something nobody in this house wants to see”. But he goes on:
But I do want to be crystal clear – we must strengthen our relationship with America, for our security, for our technology, for our trade and investment.
They are, and always will be indispensable, and we will never choose between either side of the Atlantic.
In fact, if anything, the past week has shown that that idea is totally unserious, because while some people may enjoy the simplicity of taking a side, this week has shown with total clarity that the US is vital in securing the peace we all want to see in Ukraine.
Key events
Starmer says he does not expect US to cancel support for Ukraine, despite report saying Trump considering this
Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader, asks Starmer about reports that Trump is meeting today to discuss withdrawing support for Ukraine.
The New York Times is reporting that Trump will hold a meeting with adviser
The president will meet with senior advisers “including cancelling aid [for Ukraine] that was approved and paid for by the Biden administration”, the Telegraph says.
Starmer replies:
I haven’t seen reports of the US withdrawing support for Ukraine, and as I understand, that is not their position.
But he also criticises the SNP for recently renewing its commitment to nuclear disarmament. He says that “a completely wrong-headed decision they should reconsider”.
Cat Smith (Lab) asks if the government will return aid spending to 0.7% of GNI (gross national income) when the fiscal circumstances allow.
Starmer says he does want to do this.
Starmer says Israel’s decision to block aid going into Gaza is “completely wrong”.
James Cleverly, the Tory former foreign secretary, said he thought Starmer had not “put a foot wrong” this weekend. But he said he thought the government needed to go even further in raising defence spending.
Starmer tells Ed Davey he does not agree with him that Trump not reliable ally on matters relating to Russia
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, says people were “horrified” by the scenes in the Oval Office on Friday.
Referring to an answer that Starmer gave at his press conference yesterday, Davey says:
We need to reduce our dependency on the United States because, I say with deep regret, I fear that President Trump is not a reliable ally with respect to Russia.
He also asks Starmer to confirm that what Peter Mandelson said yesterday (see 9.12am) was not government policy.
In response, Starmer says:
On the dependency on the US, I do not agree with him.
The US and the UK have the closest of relationships, our defence, our security, our intelligence, are completely intertwined. No two countries are as close as our two countries, and there’d be a huge mistake at a time like this to suggest that any weakening of that link is the way forward for security defence in Europe.
On what Mandelson said, Starmer says his position is clear: the government is working, especially with the French, on a plan that will be put to the US., and then shared when details are available.
Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee, says Starmer response at the weekend was “pitch perfect”.
But she says she is concerned that the cuts to the aid budget are so far reaching that, even though support for Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan is supposed to get priority, “it is hard to believe that there will be enough left in the budget to provide meaningful humanitarian support in these priority areas”.
Starmer says he wants to ensure they are prioritised.
And he says he spoke to the president of the World Bank on Friday about about methods that could be used to finance overseas aid.
Kemi Badenoch said the Conservatives were backing the government’s stance on Ukraine.
In her response to Starmer, she asked for detail on some point, but said she welcomed what he did at the weekend.
In respoonse, Starmer confirmed that he had Badenoch had a conversation about this this morning.
He confirmed details of any troop deployment would be put the Commons in due course.
He said using frozen Russian assets, not just the interest from frozen Russian assets, was a complicated issue. But he said the government did want to move forward on this.
And, on sanctions, he said agreed with Badenoch that they should not be lifted immediately fighting stops
Starmer said Britain would play a leading role in the “coalition of the willing”, protecting Ukraine, “with, if necessary, and together with others, boots on the ground and planes in the air”.
He concluded:
It is right that Europe do the heavy lifting to support peace on our continent, but to succeed this effort must also have strong US backing …
We stand by Ukraine because it’s the right thing to do, but we also stand by them because it’s in our interest to do so, because if we do not achieve a lasting peace, then the instability and insecurity that has hit the living standards of working people in Britain that will only get worse, and Putin’s appetite for conflict and chaos that will only grow.
So a strong peace, a just peace, a lasting peace, that has now to be our goal.
Starmer sums up the four parts of the plan to help Ukraine discussed by European leaders yesterday.
First, that we must keep the military aid to Ukraine flowing, keep increasing the economic pressure on Russia, and to that end, alongside our partnership on air defense, we are doubling down on military aid. Already this year, we have taken our support to record levels, but on Saturday, we also agreed a new £2.2bn loan for Ukraine, backed not by the British taxpayer, but by the profits from frozen Russian assets.
Second, we agreed that any lasting peace must guarantee the sovereignty and security of Ukraine, and that Ukraine must be at the table when negotiating their future. That is absolutely vital.
Third, we agreed that in the event of a peace deal, we will continue to boost Ukraine’s defenses and Ukraine’s deterrence.
And finally, fourth, we agreed to develop a coalition of the willing ready to defend a deal in Ukraine and guarantee the peace.
Starmer says crowd who cheered Zelenskyy in London on Saturday ‘speaking for whole country’
Starmer refers to the “moving scenes” that greeted President Zelenskyy when he arrived at No 10 on Saturday.
I saw for myself he was taken aback when the crowd in Whitehall cheered at the top of their voices and they were speaking for the whole of our country, a reminder that this government, this house and this nation, stand in unwavering support behind him and the people of Ukraine.
Starmer says nobody should doubt Trump’s commitment to peace in Ukraine sincere
Starmer says he welcomes President Trump’s commitment to peace in Ukraine, “which nobody in this house should doubt for a second is sincere”.
Starmer says past week has shown why taking sides between US and Europe would be ‘totally unserious’
Keir Starmer is speaking now.
He says MPs face “the test of our times”.
And he says he situation Britain faces shows how national security is combined with economic security.
He says the deal he announced last night symbolishes the new era – allowing Ukraine to use £1.6bn to buy missiles that will be made in Belfast. That will put Ukraine in the strongest possibl, while helping UK jobs.
He says what happened in the Oval Office between President Trump and President Zelenskyy was “something nobody in this house wants to see”. But he goes on:
But I do want to be crystal clear – we must strengthen our relationship with America, for our security, for our technology, for our trade and investment.
They are, and always will be indispensable, and we will never choose between either side of the Atlantic.
In fact, if anything, the past week has shown that that idea is totally unserious, because while some people may enjoy the simplicity of taking a side, this week has shown with total clarity that the US is vital in securing the peace we all want to see in Ukraine.
Starmer to make statement to MPs on Ukraine
Keir Starmer is about to make a statement to MPs about Ukraine.
Here is the statement he made at the start of his press conference yesterday about the summit he chaired for (mostly) European leaders about cooperating to support Ukraine.
His opening statement is likely to overlap quite a lot with what he said yesterday.
Lib Dems accuse Farage of acting like ‘Trump’s spokesman in Britain’
Like the Conservatives (see 12.31pm), the Liberal Democrats have also condemned Nigel Farage for siding with Donald Trump against Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his comments on LBC this morning. (See 11.48am). Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said:
Nigel Farage is once again showing his true colours as Trump’s own spokesman here in Britain.
Zelensky showed courage and integrity in that room – in stark contrast to Farage’s cowardly approach of licking Trump’s boots.
Farage is more focused on promoting Trump and Musk’s interests in the UK than British interests in the States. He was once again parroting White House talking points this morning, to the dismay of British people here at home. It’s clearer than ever that Nigel Farage is simply out for himself and his Mar-a-Lago cronies.
