Sir Keir Starmer has said that he is “ready and willing” to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine to uphold any peacekeeping deal, as the Prime Minister has been warned about looming military cuts.
The Prime Minister has said that securing a lasting peace deal in Ukraine was “essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression”.
Starmer told the Daily Telegraph that he has not made the decision that could put British military personnel in harm’s way “lightly”.
“But any role in helping to guarantee Ukraine’s security is helping to guarantee the security of our continent and the security of this country.”
It is understood to be the first time the Prime Minister has explicitly stated he is considering deploying British peacekeepers to the warzone.
The Prime Minister is also facing pressure to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP or face military cuts, sources have told Sky News.
The GDP spending currently stands at 2.3, and the 0.3 increase would amount to an extra £5billion annually.
“The truth is there needs to be more money now or else prepare for further cuts,” said one military insider.
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Labour MP appeals to critics over amendments to assisted dying Bill
The Labour MP behind the UK’s proposed assisted dying legislation has asked critics not to kill her Bill in the parliamentary process before MPs have a chance to vote.
Kim Leadbeater said she understood she had “weeks and weeks” of work ahead after the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill committee scrutinised the proposal line-by-line.
“What I wouldn’t want to see would be that people do try and put so many amendments in that we don’t end up getting to third reading,” she told The Independent.
“But most MPs I’ve spoken to this week understand the parliamentary process.”
Parliamentary process allows amendments to be made throughout a Bill’s passage, provided they do not deal with sections of legislation that have already been discussed.
The Labour MP also warned that situations where people go abroad to end their lives with no scrutiny leave the door open for unethical situations.
“You’ve got people now who are terminally ill who are taking their own lives,” she explained.
“You’ve got people going to Dignitas, and we have no idea whether they’ve been coerced into it.”
Starmer in Paris to discuss Ukraine’s next steps with world leaders
Starmer and MacronPA
Sir Keir Starmer will be in Paris today for an emergency summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, where the world leaders will discuss Ukraine’s next steps.
The French government said that the meeting would include Germany, Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as the Nato secretary-general and the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the “main European countries” will discuss European security.
