Opposition leader Keir Starmer will increase defence spending and commit to replacing Britain's nuclear deterrent if elected when the UK heads to the polls on July 4.
The Labour leader is expected to meet armed forces veterans and a group of his party's candidates when he campaigns in the North West of England on Monday.
Mr Starmer will reaffirm his commitment to a “nuclear deterrent triple lock”, and his ambition to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made it clear that he wants to meet the 2.5 per cent goal by 2030, although Labour has so far declined to outline its timetable, saying it would do so when economic conditions allow.
Labour says its nuclear deterrent triple lock involves: a commitment to build four new nuclear submarines in Barrow-in-Furness; maintaining Britain's continuous at-sea deterrent; and delivering all future upgrades needed for the submarines.
The Vanguard-class submarines are due to be replaced by the bigger Dreadnought class in the next decade.
Between £31 billion ($39.48 billion) and £41 billion have been set aside for the wider programme of replacing the Vanguard-class submarines, according to the House of Commons Library.
Mr Starmer has been trying to shift perceptions of Labour's defence stance after the party's leadership under Jeremy Corbyn, who was a long-standing critic of Nato and Trident.
“National security will always come first in the changed Labour Party I lead,” Mr Starmer said in a statement.
“Keeping our country safe is the bedrock of stability that the British people rightly expect from their government.
“My message to them is clear: Labour has changed. No longer the party of protest, Labour is the party of national security.
“The excellent former service personnel that are standing as Labour candidates are a testament to that change.
“In the face of increasing threats to national security, actions will speak louder than words.
“That's why, alongside our unshakeable commitment to Nato, an incoming Labour government will introduce a 'triple lock' commitment on our nuclear deterrent – providing vital protection for the UK and our Nato allies in the years ahead, as well as supporting thousands of high-paying jobs across the UK.”
Even though Labour is far ahead in the polls, officials say they still need to convince thousands of undecided voters to back what Starmer repeatedly calls a "changed party", one which can be trusted on defence, health and tackling immigration
The Conservatives believe they have a stronger defence offering, with a pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP a year by 2030, a target Labour says it wants to match but only when "resources allow".
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Honeymoonish
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Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)
Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14
Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)
Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31
Bangla Tigers win by six wickets
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
More on animal trafficking
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
